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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24266683">Legend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bandgrad2008/pseuds/bandgrad2008'>bandgrad2008</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Victorious (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:27:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,140</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24266683</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bandgrad2008/pseuds/bandgrad2008</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>How far would you go to escape fate?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tori Vega/Jade West</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious.<br/>A/N: So, after some consideration, I decided to re-edit this story and repost it on FFnet, and I'm posting this story for the first time on here. If you read it before, you know that I have the first 10 chapters at hand, and I'll try to get them redone and posted at least every few days, as well as try to continue where I left off before I get to that point so that y'all don't have to wait another *ahem* seven and a half years for me to update. And because of the long hiatus, I kinda forgot what exactly was supposed to happen, so hey, we're all headed into the unknown together.</p>
<p>So without further ado, this fic is being revived from its original posting of August 2012.<br/>Enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I don't know why you dragged me here."</p>
<p>"You heard what your grandmother told your mom...Now's our chance to find out for ourselves." The smaller of the two girls flips the coin and catches it in her hand, slapping it against her arm. She smirks. "You go first."</p>
<p>The other girl sighs and stares into the cave, hesitation heavy in her footsteps as she steps forward over and over, her eyes open and aware. She's afraid that they're making a huge mistake, that they should just turn around and leave, but it's too late for that now. "Don't be such a wimp, Victoria!" her friend calls out from behind her.</p>
<p>Victoria rolls her eyes, trying to control the chills in her spine. She knows she can do this, but the fear hangs over her. And unfortunately, the other girl knows it. She fights to keep herself steady, to keep from stumbling, but her body is shivering far too much. Soon she realizes a body is behind her, and when hands take hers from behind, she takes a breath. The hands release hers and she continues walking, suddenly less afraid knowing that her friend is right behind her.</p>
<p>She mutters to herself as they reach what seems to be an altar, a scroll unrolled and placed on its surface. They approach it, Victoria's eyes reading the legend in the center. "It's about us..." She can't believe it. Her grandmother had had a habit of being strange about supernatural and superstition, but she had no idea that the woman didn't just believe in it; she lived for it.</p>
<p>The other girl shook her head. "But if it's us, then that means...That means everything that we've been going through...it's all real." Her eyes meet Victoria's. "Do you even..."<br/>Victoria stares at the scroll, closing her eyes. "I've thought about it, but...do you?" Her friend shrugs and reaches for the scroll, running her fingers over the circular indent in the stone altar.</p>
<p>Reaching for the coin, she sets it into the slot and the scroll glows. "Well, I guess we know that it's really us." She removes the coin and pockets it, glancing at Victoria. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?" The ground begins to rumble, and the two girls exchange a panicked glance before running for the exit.</p>
<p>"You don't know what you're doing!" Victoria shouts. She doesn't know why they came here, why they had to bother with their curiosity.</p>
<p>"Shut up! You're the one who touched it first, Victoria," her friend points out as she searches the coin. There had to be some sort of clue that would help them end this, something that could save them. The other girl growls in frustration at the lack of aide and throws the coin behind her.</p>
<p>"What are you doing? We may have needed that." Victoria stops running and turns back to where her friend had thrown the coin, but the other girl grabs her wrist and drags her back into a sprint. "Stop, we need to go back!"</p>
<p>"Do you really want to risk your life over a coin?" She lets go of the girl's wrist as they approach the cliff, knowing that this could be the end. Victoria gasps for air, her side pinched from running. "I guess this is it."</p>
<p>Victoria shook her head. "No, we can't. We can't jump to our deaths."</p>
<p>"I don't see any other choice we have." The girl hesitates. "If one of us dies...the other will too. We won't have to live without each other." She glances over the cliff, calculating the fall. If the pressure doesn't kill them, the impact certainly will. Victoria remains behind her, enough space to evade her friend should she attempt to grab her and jump.</p>
<p>Victoria shakes her head. "I can't. I can't throw everything away like this. What if there's another way?"</p>
<p>"Would you rather go on suffering at each other's mercy? I don't know about you, but I can't take much more of this." And with that, she grabs the taller girl by the neck and pulls her face to meet hers, lips crushing together in a panicked kiss.</p>
<p>They jump together, holding each other as close as possible, the suffering quick and painless as they fall to their deaths.</p>
<p>LEGEND</p>
<p>She sits against the wall at the head of her bed, her eyes on the glass window at the opposite end of the room, waiting for...waiting for something she isn't even sure exists. She's heard the legend, of the two connected in such a unique way. The only thing that truly intrigued her was the tiniest feeling that this legend might be more than a myth.</p>
<p>But she's skeptical, checking the alarm clock that sits on the top of her bedside table. According to the legend, she has five minutes left. Five minutes until...until...she isn't sure. She's afraid, terrified even, because she's never been so uncertain in her life.</p>
<p>She closes her eyes. Maybe the time would stop, and she would never have to know whether there's truth in this superstition. But as she takes a breath, time skips forward to midnight, the now-sleeping girl unaware of the shift in the air.</p>
<p>"Tori! Tori, wake up!"</p>
<p>Someone is jumping on her bed, calling her name, but she only groans, turning away from her best friend, and covering her head with her pillow. "Trina, please go away."</p>
<p>The girl stops jumping, landing with a soft bounce next to Tori. "But come on, you have to wake up. It's noon! And it's your birthday..."</p>
<p>"Yes, it is. So, let me sleep in? Please?" However, Trina had other plans, grabbing her wrist and dragging her out of bed. "Trina...please," she whined, digging her heels into the mattress, just before Trina lets go of her wrist and she hits her head on the floor. She grunts at the impact. "Fine! Fine, I'm up, okay?"</p>
<p>Trina smirks smugly, crossing her arms. "Now get dressed. We're going shopping." The older girl-by only a month, as Tori had reminded her numerous times-turns and leaves the bedroom, closing the door behind her.</p>
<p>Tori groans, holding her head as she sits up. Not only has she been rudely awakened, but now she has a headache too. She doesn't see the big deal in turning twenty-one, but according to Trina, it's a major turning point in one's life. But honestly, she feels the same as she did yesterday, with maybe a little more irritation.</p>
<p>She staggers to her feet before dragging herself to her closet to pick out something that she would be changing out of in the next hour. Who changes their clothes so many times a day?</p>
<p>Deciding on a pair of dark skinny jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, she changes before Trina can barge into her room again and demand to know what's taking so long. Of course, when she finishes with her hair and makeup and heads into the living room, Trina is nowhere to be found. On the counter is a note, as Trina always leaves one when she comes over like this.</p>
<p>She sighs. Apparently, Trina left to talk to the cute guy down the hall, the one that she was sure liked her, and that she would return soon with his number. Tori shakes her head. Her best friend had been barking up that tree for two months now, and Tori was sure it was never going to happen. </p>
<p>In fact, she knows why the poor guy keeps saying no, and had even told Trina, but of course the girl would never listen. Once she has her eyes set on someone of the opposite sex, she would never give up until another one comes along.</p>
<p>Twenty minutes pass before Trina storms through the front door, no doubt upset that she's been turned down again, and Tori can't help but smirk. Trina plops down onto the sofa next to her, crossing her arms. "I don't understand why he keeps turning me down," she mutters. "He's missing out on something huge!"</p>
<p>Tori sighs. "Trina, we've been over this."</p>
<p>"Yes, well," she pouts. Tori raises a brow, questioning the nature of her statement. "Oh, you know what I mean, Tori." She pauses. "I did invite him to the party later, and he said he'd go. Why would he say yes to something involving you, but no to a date with me?"</p>
<p>Tori groans in frustration. Trina would never understand. "Come on, you said we were going shopping, right? Maybe you'll find a guy who actually likes women..." Trina seems to perk up at that statement, disregarding the simple fact that it's full of false hope, and the two of them leave the apartment, engaging in conversation as they make their way down the stairs and out into the cool December air.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: This chapter didn't require much reworking, but I've been kinda meh the past couple of days. Hope y'all enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day goes by slowly, Trina forcing Tori to try on whatever outfits she thought were fashionable, and Tori actually had to admit, that's one subject where Trina is an expert. By the tenth outfit, she's bored, convincing her best friend to take a turn to find her own clothes for the party. She sits in a chair by the window, waiting for Trina to emerge from the fitting room, her eyes searching for something outside that could amuse her.</p>
<p>Trina displays her choices twelve times before something catches Tori's attention, the bell ringing at the store's entrance to announce the arrival of a man and a woman. She inconspicuously examines them, taking note of their features, of their body language. Right away, she can tell that they're not together, by the way that they stand so close together, yet far enough apart that they aren't touching.</p>
<p>The woman is a redhead, brown eyes scanning the store around them, as though she's searching for something particularly. She's shorter than Tori herself, but she uses her lack of height in confidence, projecting a fuller charm than most.</p>
<p>To her right, the man stands, sleek black hair pulled back in a ponytail, his eyes on the blonde woman behind the counter. He's nearly a foot taller than his companion, the top of her head coming just over his broad shoulders. He mutters something from the corner of his mouth, and she nods, giving him permission to leave her side. Tori watches as he approaches the blonde, but her attention is drawn back to the redhead.</p>
<p>The woman is staring directly at her.</p>
<p>"Hey, Tori, this one looks better, right?" Trina's voice causes her head to whip around, eyeing her outfit before nodding in approval. The girl disappears into the fitting room once more, returning with an outfit. "Try this on. You'll be sure to leave the party with someone."</p>
<p>Tori rolls her eyes, but she has no choice. Trina is paying and if she likes this outfit, then they're sure to leave this shop soon. She hides in the fitting room, remembering the woman's eyes watching her, wondering why her attention had suddenly fallen on Tori. She was nothing special, and she knew that she had never met the woman before. She pulls the shirt over her head, sighing. Maybe she's just imagining things.</p>
<p>Leaving the fitting room wearing the clothes Trina handed her, she glances around the store. The strangers have taken their leave, allowing the two girls the privacy of the empty shop. Trina grins, as though she's painted an absolutely, wonderful masterpiece, rubbing her hands together. "God, Tori, if you were my type..."</p>
<p>Tori holds up a hand. "Before you even go there, be warned that I will kill you if any unnecessary images enter my mind." She returns to the fitting room, changing her clothes slowly. Pushing thoughts of the woman from her mind, the strange sense of fear overwhelming her, she finds Trina in deep conversation with the blonde woman at the counter, the two of them discussing the latest trends.</p>
<p>Trina's eyes meet hers once, and the girl can tell something's troubling her best friend. She wraps up the conversation while paying for their outfits, and the two friends leave the store. "Okay, what happened?" Trina asks, stopping Tori.</p>
<p>The birthday girl shrugs. "I'm just contemplating my life, wondering why you're my best friend." She forces a false smile and knows that Trina can see right through her.</p>
<p>Fortunately, Trina lets it go, redirecting the topic to one of less interest to Tori. Her thoughts are muddled, twisted and confused. "...And Robbie finally said that he would go..." Tori freezes mid-step, causing Trina to turn around and roll her eyes. "It's been six years. Will you two just let it go already?"</p>
<p>Tori frowns. "How am I supposed to let it go when it's his fault, Trina? He left, not me."</p>
<p>"For God's sake, you shoved him out the door. He apologized over and over and you threw an iron at his head and told him to leave." She shakes her head. "He may or may not have deserved it, but don't you think that was a little harsh?"</p>
<p>Tori crosses her arms, suddenly cold. What was she supposed to do now, with Robbie attending her party? What was Trina even thinking, inviting him? The boy had been nothing but trouble when they were younger; he'd been her first kiss, her first and only boyfriend, the first person to cheat on her...And yet, she had loved him. It hadn't mattered that he was always in trouble, breaking laws and running from the police. She had covered for him so often that it had become a habit, and when he chose to drive that day... "He nearly killed me, Trina."</p>
<p>She continues walking, shoving her hands in her pockets and ducking her head, hiding the tears that threaten to form in her eyes. No, she had vowed that she would never shed another tear for him. An arm wraps around her shoulders, stopping her. "I'm sorry, Tori. I shouldn't have invited him. But you can't avoid him forever. He was coming back, whether I asked him to come or not."</p>
<p>"It's fine, Trina...what's been done is done. I'll just face him and get it over with, and we'll be done with this." For the remainder of the walk back to the apartment, the two girls are silent, unable to start a conversation.</p>
<p>Trina leaves Tori alone, with the promise of picking her up for the party, and Tori passes through her apartment to the bathroom, leaving the door open as she turns the knobs in the shower. She feels the need to scrub the woman's gaze from her body, as though it had been toxic.</p>
<p>She pauses. There was something familiar about her eyes, but Tori couldn't remember. She sighs, undressing and stepping under the running stream, glancing at her clothes piled on the floor. Her fingers massage her scalp with shampoo and conditioner, and by the time she rinses it completely from her hair, she swears she hears the lock from click on the apartment door. Turning off the water, she wraps a towel around her before grabbing the toilet brush, glancing around the doorjamb.</p>
<p>She creeps through the hallway toward the living room, peeking around the corner. A figure in black is leaning against the front door, their back to Tori, and her hands tighten around the handle of the brush. "Whoever you are...you need to get out of here..." Her voice is shaky, lacking the control she needs.</p>
<p>The figure turns, dark brown eyes meeting hers, and she nearly drops the brush before she remembers who this is. He shakes his head, smirking. "Did you think you would beat someone to death with a toilet brush or...?"</p>
<p>"What are you doing here, Robbie?"</p>
<p>The man shrugs. "I came here for the party, but I realized that you and I should probably talk before then." He sighs. "Look, I'm sorry about what I did."</p>
<p>"Go away, Robbie. I'll just see you at the party." He opens his mouth to argue, or protest, or whatever he plans to do, but thinks better of it and nods slowly, sadly, opening the door and slinking out into the hallway. Tori runs her hand through her hair and closes the door, leaving the toilet brush in the bathroom as she passes it to her bedroom. This is the strangest birthday thus far.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Hope y'all enjoy this one. It's somewhat important but mostly filler.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Unfortunately, it doesn't become any less strange as the day progresses. Not even the birthday phone calls and texts from her friends and family are normal, wacky messages and moments that make her question how old they really think she is.</p>
<p>She stares at the TV from her seat on the couch, head propped on her fist, waiting for Trina to return to pick her up. She decided not to call her best friend to announce that Robbie had been in her apartment, knowing that Trina would lecture her about sending him away.</p>
<p>She remembers the day she told him to leave, to get out of her life, after the accident. And when he had argued, apologized, asking her to forgive him, she had thrown an iron at his head. She had missed, of course, but he had left anyway. He had disappeared, with Trina as his only contact. And for two months, Tori lived in misery and pain, the damage from the accident limiting her.</p>
<p>But she had gotten through it, moved on from her mistake, and she was never going to fall back into the broken trampoline her life used to be.</p>
<p>The apartment door deadbolt unlocks and yawns open, allowing Trina entry, envelopes in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She hands the envelopes to Tori and disappears down the hall, as though it's her own apartment. "I'm going to take a nap!" the woman calls from the guest bedroom.</p>
<p>Tori rolls her eyes and sorts through the envelopes now sitting in her lap. They were all birthday cards from her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even one from an old friend Andre, whom she hadn't seen since they graduated high school. She had always wondered what had become of her friends after she and Trina had moved a few hours out of town.</p>
<p>Of course, then it reminds her of Robbie and how things used to be. She wants to be past it, to forget everything, or at least just move on. But she knows it will be difficult, something that will take time and patience.</p>
<p>Knuckles rap on the front door, bringing her out of her miserable thoughts, and she sighs, standing up and crossing the living room. Opening the door, she comes face to face with the redhead from the shop; the same solid frown drawn on her lips. Tori stares at her, silently wondering who this woman is.</p>
<p>The redheaded woman holds a small white box, crimson bow on its lid. Tori reaches for it, her eyes never leaving the woman's. It's as though her body is moving on its own accord, as if she's possessed, and when her fingers close around the box, she frowns.</p>
<p>"Do not lose the object inside. It's important to your survival." The woman's voice is soft but firm, her lips barely moving. "Do not let history repeat itself." With those words hanging loosely in the air, the woman turns and marches down the hallway toward the elevator.</p>
<p>Tori stares at the box in her hand, holding it closer to her body as she glances toward each end of the hallway and backs into her apartment, closing the door and locking it. What had the woman meant? Would she die if she lost the object?</p>
<p>And more importantly, was anyone after this object?</p>
<p>She tucks the box under her arm, heading down the hallway to her bedroom. From the doorway, she can see Trina in the room at the end of the hall, limbs sprawled out over the dark red comforter, chest rising and falling in a slow and steady rhythm.</p>
<p>Stepping into her own room, she closes the door and locks it before setting the box on her desk. Untying the bow on the lid, allowing the silky ribbon to fall to the sides of the box, she lifts the lid. Inside of the box is a single solid gold coin, its surface faceless save for a string of letters along the edge of the surface. She eyes the metallic object for a moment before reaching into the box, her fingers touching the coin.</p>
<p>A sudden sharp pain strikes in her chest, causing her to double over, her eyes squeezed shut, and she gasps, fighting a scream from escaping her lips. As quickly as the torture began, it dissipates, and she takes a deep breath before removing her fingers from the object, her eyes blurred.</p>
<p>She's shaken by the faint sound of Trina's cell phone ringing in the other bedroom, and she glances at the alarm clock beside her bed. Changing into the clothes laying at the foot of her bed, she pockets the coin and checks herself in the mirror before opening her bedroom door and crossing to the bathroom across the hall.</p>
<p>Trina's voice is loud through the wall as she argues with someone over the phone, and Tori rolls her eyes, working the brush quickly through her loose curls. The other woman pokes her head into the bathroom, smirking when she notices Tori's appearance. "Seriously, Tori, if you don't leave the party with someone, they're either blind or you're stupid."</p>
<p>Tori chuckles. "Thanks for the compliment. But I really don't think I'll be bringing anyone home tonight." She sets the brush down on the sink counter and glances at Trina's reflection in the mirror. "They're mostly people you know anyway."</p>
<p>Trina holds up her index finger. "That is a lie, you know. You know a lot of them, and I know a few who would love to..." Her eyes scan Tori from head to toe. "Well, let's just say you're going to be like a light bulb attracting moths."</p>
<p>She disappears from the room, most likely to change into her own outfit, and Tori checks her reflection, searching for any imperfection. Satisfied, she leaves the bathroom, sitting on the couch and waiting for Trina to join her. What feels like two hours later, her best friend finally emerges from the hallway, phone to her ear and muttering curses to whomever is on the other end of the line.</p>
<p>The two women vacate the apartment, locking the door behind them, and take the elevator to the ground floor, finishing their short walk to Trina's car. Tori is silent for the thirty-minute-drive to the bar, which has been closed and reserved for their party, the owner being a close and personal friend of Trina's.</p>
<p>The bar is full when Tori and Trina enter, random attendants greeting them, wishing Tori a happy birthday. As they maneuver through the mass crowd of their friends, Tori's eyes are drawn toward the bar. Robbie's wolfish grin is obvious, a beer bottle in hand. She reaches for Trina's shoulder, tapping. "Don't leave me alone while Robbie's here," she murmured in the woman's ear. Trina follows her gaze toward the man in question and nods once in affirmation.</p>
<p>But it doesn't take long before both of them have had enough to blur their judgment, and Tori finds herself cornered by Robbie nearly an hour later, anger between them as they argue. Robbie slams his fist against the wall, turns on his heel, and leaves the bar; while Tori stands against the wall, heart racing as she fights the tears from falling. Minutes later she's in the arms of a pretty brunette that had been eyeing her from the opposite end of the bar, lips on her neck and hands underneath her shirt, as they hide in the bathroom, and <br/>Tori ends it before it goes too far.</p>
<p>She apologizes to the girl, hurrying out of the bathroom and straight into someone else, knocking them both off of their feet. Tori groans and rubs her forehead where it had collided with another human skull and focuses her attention on the victim of her rush. "I'm so sorry," she forces out, as bright green eyes meet hers.</p>
<p>The coin burns like fire in her pocket.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I-I'm sorry," Tori stumbles, attempting to form coherent words. The woman stares at her, as though she's confused, one brow raised. Tori swallows the baseball-sized lump in her throat, her brain fuzzy from the alcohol.</p><p>But soon, hands are helping her and the other woman to their feet, and Tori watches helplessly as the dark-haired beauty stalks away, a hint of red staining her neck. An arm slings around Tori's shoulders, guiding her in the opposite direction toward the bar, and the girl sighs before turning her head to her companion.</p><p>Her neighbor from down the hall smiles warmly as he helps her onto a stool, his eyes glancing around the crowded room before returning to hers. "That was quite a spill you took back there. You nearly gave that woman a heart attack." Tori frowns in confusion, earning a chuckle. "That poor girl is going to be thinking about you for some time tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if she returns to talk to you."</p><p>Tori sighs, taking the glass of water the bartender places in front of her, and smiles slightly. "Do you think I screwed up?"</p><p>The man shakes his head, running a hand through his blonde curls. "By fighting with that jerk before, no. By running from that girl that you took into the bathroom, maybe just a little, but that's none of my business. And by running into that woman just now? I believe the only thing you've screwed up is her thought process." He laughs softly. "You look like you've had enough to drink."</p><p>Tori nods in agreement. "I think so too." She searches the mass sea of people for her best friend, but her eyes are too unfocused. Her neighbor turns her to face the bar, and her eyes close as she lifts the glass of water to her lips. The ice clinks against the glass, floating toward her face, following the flow of liquid.</p><p>Moments later, Trina's at her side, muttering something about not being able to find a man who wants to go home with her, but as she notices Tori's state of drunkenness, she sighs and ceases her self-centered, low-volume rant about how the male species is ridiculous for not realizing that she was an absolute catch. "Are you ready to go home, birthday girl?"</p><p>Tori nods slowly, the world spinning around her as she drops her head against her folded arms on the bar. Trina opens her mouth to speak, but a woman's voice intrudes into their small bubble. "Is she all right?" The voice is steady, as though it's completely sober, echoing against the inside of Tori's skull. Something inside of her burns at this voice, for this voice, but she concludes the feeling to be a side effect of the alcohol she's consumed.</p><p>Trina, ever the protective best friend, turns to examine the woman, evaluating whether there is an actual possibility of her friend being harmed. Green eyes are narrowed in a scowl, earning the expected roll of the eyes from Trina, and she nearly repeats her question. Trina saves her the trouble. "She's fine, just not drunk anymore." Tori groans in agreement, raising her head to welcome the concerned woman.</p><p>The lump in her throat returns when she hears the nearly silent chuckle of her neighbor. "Come on, Trina. This one won't mess with her." Trina's protests quietly as Tori watches them push through the crowd away from them.</p><p>Tori rubs the back of her neck, taking another sip of water. The other woman speaks up, her eyes averted toward the bar. "So…you're all right?" she asks, and Tori can nearly see the lead-filled words roll off the girl's tongue. She nods, unable to speak. There's something about this woman, something bigger than she understands. "That thing in the bathroom...I know it's none of my business, but you ran out of there so quickly. Is everything okay?"</p><p>"Yeah," Tori replies quickly. She sighs and shakes her head. "No, it isn't. I'm just having a really strange birthday." The corners of the other woman's mouth twitch, and suddenly Tori's eyes are focused completely on the movement. She can't turn her eyes to distraction, her lungs seemingly forgetting how to operate.</p><p>She observes the actions of the other woman, the nervousness subtle as she fights to keep her eyes from meeting Tori's directly. Tori notices the way the green orbs flicker to her lips frequently, as though the woman is internally debating whether to kiss her, and she would be lying if she said she is opposed to the idea. The other woman speaks, slowly and quietly. "This party is yours then?" Tori can only nod, unable to form words. "Happy birthday then." And without another breath, without another blink of an eye, the woman's lips are on Tori's, her hands sliding around Tori's waist, slowly, giving Tori the out if she so wishes.</p><p>Tori's lips are on fire, nearly as much as the coin in her pocket, and she's aware of the scorching flesh as she pulls away instantly, her eyes avoiding the other woman's. "I can't…I'm sorry." She hops off the bar stool, searches the bar for Trina, and grabs her arm. "I'm ready to go home."</p><p>Trina nods, glancing toward the bar, where the woman stands unmoving, unwavering, and wraps her arm around her best friend's shoulders, leading her out of the crowded room. </p><p>The drive home to Tori's apartment is completely silent, void of conversation or radio, and they sit in even more uncomfortable silence when Trina parks in front of the apartment building. Trina takes a breath. "She kissed you." Tori nods slowly. "You wanted her to."</p><p>"I did." Tori sighs and shakes her head. "I wanted her to kiss me so badly, Trina. I wanted…I want her to again."</p><p>Trina frowns. "Then why did you leave her there alone? That isn't like you, Tori. You've never left anyone behind like that." She doesn't allow Tori to answer. "Come on, I'm staying the night. And you need to figure out what you want from that girl because if you let her pass and she's the one, I'm going to kick your ass."</p><p>Tori forces a smile. "Thanks, Trina. You always know what to say."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Her name is Jade." Tori snaps her head in her neighbor's direction, where he sits across the table from her, head resting against his fist and an amused smile dancing on his lips. She's confused, wondering what he's talking about. "The woman that you're so madly in love with; her name is Jade."</p><p>"I'm not in love with her. I barely know her, Sinjin."</p><p>He smirks. "Yet, you've been thinking about her ever since you first laid eyes on her." Tori averts her eyes, focusing instead on the glass of soda in front of her. "I'm not stupid, Tori. I've seen people fall in love. And you, my dear, are completely smitten." He takes a sip of his own soda and nods. "You won't admit it now, but just you wait. One of these days you'll be saying that I was right."</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, don't be so smug." She tosses her straw wrapper at him and rolls her eyes. The waiter returns with their food, hamburgers and steak fries for them, and Tori notices his eyes are on Sinjin the entire time, a slight blush on his cheeks as he wishes them a positive lunch, stumbling over his words. As he walks away rubbing his neck, Tori chuckles, earning a puzzled glance from her date. "Oh, come on. You say you know when someone is in love. That boy was close to tripping over his feet for you."</p><p>Sinjin shrugs. "I know he was. There's no point in entertaining the idea that the poor boy has running through his mind, though." He smiles. "I'm perfectly happy in my relationship, and I'm sure he's very happy in his." He gestures toward where the boy had wandered off to and Tori glances over her shoulder, watching as their waiter laughs lightly with another waiter. Sinjin picks up his burger, taking a bite. Once it's swallowed, he lifts the topic again. "So, what are you going to do about Jade?"</p><p>Tori sighs. She had hoped that he would just leave the subject alone, so that she could move past what may never happen with a girl that she barely knows. "Jade would be better off without me. The last thing anyone needs is a relationship with me."</p><p>He frowns, clearly not satisfied with the answer. "You know that isn't true, Tori. Any woman would be lucky to be with you." He glances past Tori toward the entrance of the diner. "Did you tell Trina we would be here?"</p><p>Tori shakes her head and turns in her seat to locate Trina, the girl in question sliding into the booth beside her. Tori stares at her in confusion, wondering how her friend was even able to find them. Trina flips her hair, smiling at Sinjin, before turning his attention to the woman beside her. "So, you know that chick that you kissed last night?" Tori nods slowly, unconvinced that the conversation with both her neighbor and Trina's appearance are coincidental. "Well, I met up with Robbie for coffee and she was talking with some redheaded girl."</p><p>Sinjin stiffens in the corner of Tori's eye and she glances at him in confusion. He shakes his head and twitches the corners of his mouth, but something is wrong. She mentally notes to ask him about it later, when they're alone, and instead changes the subject. "What did Robbie have to say after everything last night?"</p><p>Trina shrugs. "He's sorry for the way he acted, said he can't blame it on the alcohol because that's the worst reason to behave that way, and wants to come over and apologize to you himself. I told him I couldn't guarantee that you would want to talk to him, but honestly, Tori, I wish you two would just talk this whole thing out."</p><p>"There's really nothing to talk about, Trina. He doesn't know how to talk anyway. We just end up arguing and I don't have the patience to deal with him anymore. He needs to just get over it and leave me alone." And suddenly Tori isn't very hungry anymore, having lost her appetite at the choice of subject.</p><p>Sinjin's cell phone rings and he glances at the caller ID, politely excusing himself from the women at the table. Trina stares at the other woman, before sighing and shaking her head. "You're both like children," she mutters. "Straight up immature." She steals one of Sinjin's French fries, making sure he hadn't seen her do so, although, she might have stolen it while he was sitting at his plate as well, uncaring that they were not hers. "Anyway, I'm going home. God only knows I need to sleep in my own bed." She waves dismissively at her best friend, standing up and leaving the table.</p><p>Tori sighs and drops her head to the table, her forehead throbbing dully from colliding with the surface. She closes her eyes as she waits for her date to return from his phone call, a slight nagging in her mind that she should probably get home and take a nap and just forget about the past couple of days. Of course, she doesn't think it's going to be easy to forget the woman—Jade, as Sinjin named her—but it’s worth trying.</p><p>Or so she thinks.</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>Tori lies on the couch, head in Trina's lap as they watch some random romantic comedy in the living room, a large bowl of the remaining bit of popcorn sitting on Tori's stomach. It's been three days since the party, since Tori met Jade, and she's thought of nothing else other than seeing that dark-haired woman with the green eyes again.</p><p>The movie ends, Trina stretching and shifting Tori, nearly knocking her head off the couch. Tori rolls her eyes and sits up, setting the bowl on the coffee table and stretching. Knuckles tapping against the front door cause her to glance at Trina with a raised brow. "Did you invite someone over?" she inquires.</p><p>Trina shakes her head and crosses the room to open the door, peeking through the peephole at the guest. She smirks in Tori's direction. "Your lover is here." Tori glares at her, wondering what in the hell her friend is talking about, but before she can deny it, Trina pulls the door open, Tori craning her neck to find Jade just on the other side. There stands the woman who, for the past three days, has haunted Tori's dreams and invaded her thoughts.</p><p>The two women stare each other down, Jade's arms folded across her chest. Finally, Tori is irritated by the silence and throws her hands in the air. "For the love of God, one of you please speak!" The dark-haired woman shoots a look in her direction, something unfamiliar written in her expression as her eyes return to lock with Trina's.</p><p>"Would it be alright to talk to your friend over there, or am I forbidden from having anything to do with her?" she inquires and Tori wonders just what she means by that, her own expression confused. She can sense the tension between them, the hostility.</p><p>Trina hesitates, turning to her best friend, and sighs, grabbing her keys from the table beside the door. "I'm going home. If you need me, just call and I'll be back." She passes Jade with a warning glare, a silent threat if she dared to hurt Tori.</p><p>Jades watches Trina disappear around the corner down the hallway, waiting for her to completely leave before taking a breath and finding Tori near the door now. They're both silent, waiting for the other to speak, both uncomfortable with initiating the conversation. Tori finally steps back, wordlessly inviting her visitor into the apartment, and she averts her eyes, finding an interest in the blank screen of the television.</p><p>Neither girl is ready to admit what's on their mind, that they've been constantly thinking about the other since they met at the party, the taste of their kiss lingering on their lips. Jade closes the apartment door, leaning against it, glancing around the living room. She frowns, taking a deep breath, and for a moment Tori is afraid she's going to faint right then and there, until her mouth opens and she speaks. "Sinjin told me to come here. I hope that's okay," Jade begins. Tori nods, waiting for her to continue. "Look, about the other night, I didn't…"</p><p>"If you're here to say it didn't mean anything, or that you were drunk, you shouldn't have bothered to come here."</p><p>Jade shakes her head. "I don't know what you did to me or what it is about you that has me completely…captivated, but I want to see if what happened at your party is the real thing." She sighs. "I can't stop thinking about you, and damn it, I don't think I want to."</p><p>Before either woman is aware of their actions enough to stop them, they're pressed together, Tori's hand on Jade's cheek as they kiss, their minds working cooperatively to solve their problem.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A searing white pain in Tori's chest snaps her out of a very detailed dream of herself and Jade, and she winces, turning onto her side, hand flat on her chest. Her heart is pounding against her ribs, unsteady and uncertain, and she bites back a groan of pain, sitting up. Her eyes adjust to the darkness of her room, 2:34 in blood red numbers against the black, and she takes a deep breath. Holding her head in her hand, she closes her eyes before sighing and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.</p><p>Opening her bedroom door, she hears the running water in the shower of the bathroom across the hall, and she frowns. Trina had gone home, and she would have heard if the woman had come back into the apartment. She leans against the doorjamb, searching through her memory of last night, and finally remembers Jade being in the apartment and Tori asking her to stay the night.</p><p>It was nothing new or uncommon for Tori to have women stay the night in her apartment; however, Jade was the first that had sparked any actual emotion in the woman. And although they had only shared a few kisses and hadn't removed any clothing or explored each other in ways that Tori had literally only dreamt of, the dark-haired beauty had affected her head and her body more than anyone else she had ever encountered.</p><p>She stares at the bathroom door, the internal conflict of whether to open it and join the woman in the shower eating away at her. She doesn't know what it means, why she wants this woman so badly, or why she's even thinking about this. Had this been any other woman in Tori's apartment, she would gladly have claimed her without a single thought.<br/>But now…</p><p>Tori sighs and goes to the kitchen, uncaring of the darkness and ignoring the light switch as she opens the refrigerator door. She grabs the gallon jug of milk and unscrews the lid, bringing the container to her lips. She rarely drinks directly from the jug, always snapping at Trina not to do so, but she can't be bothered to follow her own statements this time, instead focusing on the sound of the shower in the silent apartment.</p><p>
  <i>Why is it so difficult?! She's just another woman, one that you surprisingly haven't had in your bed. What is wrong with you, Tori? You're going insane. You're just losing your mind, that's all. Maybe when she leaves, you can find a way to push her out of your life for good and you won't have to worry about things like this ever again. You won't have to think about her and her beautiful eyes and perfect smile that you want to kiss or her body that you want pressed against yours…</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Stop. </i>
</p><p>She groans, replacing the milk jug in the refrigerator, and returns to her room. On her desk sits the gold coin and she picks it up, the instant scorch against her touch. A gasp escapes her, the coin falling from her fingers onto the carpeted floor, and she's aware that the shower isn't running anymore. She covers the coin with her foot as the bathroom door opens, the metallic object burning the sole of her right foot.</p><p>She hears a sharp intake of breath from the woman in the hallway and her brows furrow in concern. "Are you okay?" she asks quietly, wondering what could possibly have happened.</p><p>Jade pokes her head in and nods slowly, a puzzled expression marked on her face. "I'm fine. It's just…I probably twisted my foot the wrong way, but it feels like it's burning." She turns to leave the room to head into the guest room, and it's the first time Tori realizes that the woman is wrapped in a towel. And Jade's unnecessary glance does nothing to destroy the want that consumes Tori's body. The other woman stops mid-step and turns to face her host, biting her bottom lip. "I don't know if I'm stepping out of line by asking, but do you want to…"</p><p>Tori fights her internal battle, the small voice in her head telling her to take the woman to bed, and she closes her eyes. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with being wrapped in the dark-haired woman's arms, but she shakes her head, knowing that this isn't the time. "I can't, not right now." At the woman's frown, she sighs. "I have too many things on my mind right now and it wouldn't be fair to you if I'm thinking about something else."</p><p>Jade nods, seemingly understanding, and disappears down the hall. Tori lets out a huff of frustration, irritated by her own response. But if nothing else, she's honest, and while she wouldn't have been so considerate of any other woman, Jade is something else, someone whose existence is something that Tori needs to figure out.</p><p>She picks up the coin from under her foot and closes her bedroom door, leaning against it and glances around her room, searching for something that could possibly give her some aid in understanding what the coin was, or why it was given to her, but there's nothing. Come on, Tori, this has to mean something.</p><p>Resigning with a sigh, Tori sets the coin under her pillow, crawling between the sheets and facing the wall. There's just too much on her mind tonight, ranging everywhere between the coin and the beautiful woman in the room just down the hall.</p><p>She isn't going to be able to go back to sleep tonight.</p><p>After six hours of tossing and turning and the occasional fifteen minutes of sleep, she gives up, kicking her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up with a stretch. She hears the guest bedroom door open and wonders why Jade really did bother to stay. Rolling her eyes, she opens her own bedroom door and catches Jade at the front door, hand on the doorknob. "Hey, you're leaving?" she wonders aloud.</p><p>Jade jumps and turns to face Tori, guilt lacing her tired eyes. She nods, her eyes averted. "I was going to leave before you woke up because I didn't think you…I didn't think you wanted me to be here, to be honest."</p><p>Tori swallows the lump in her throat, searching for the words to say. "Why do you say that?" She's sure it has something to do with her rejection last night, but it was for the best. If anything does come out of this strange acquaintance with the woman, she doesn't want it to be rushed or awkward, and she certainly doesn't want Jade to end up like the others.<br/>Jade shakes her head. "It doesn't matter, Tori. I'm sorry for this."</p><p>Tori watches her leave and she hates to admit it, but it feels like an invisible hand is squeezing her heart. She gasps for air, but there is none, and there are no tears. Only able to stand there, she's shocked, that Jade could easily walk out of her life as simply as she had walked in. Tori isn't used to it; she's used to being the woman to walk away, to leave broken hearts behind her and not even care.</p><p>Why is Jade so special to her? Why should it matter that the woman is just leaving her in the dust, likely to avoid her in passing? Tori can't answer that. And it's killing her where she stands, her heart nearly stopping. She's still staring at the door, as though the dark-haired woman is going to walk through the door again and tell her that she changed her mind, that whatever she was feeling is only temporary, that she can't live without Tori.</p><p>Because whatever this is that's causing Tori pain, she's pretty sure she can't live without Jade.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: I know there are protests and riots going on, and if you're out there fighting, please be safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Twenty-one years earlier…</i>
</p>
<p>Victoria sits in the library, hunched over a Biology textbook and her notebook, writing furiously. She only has twenty minutes until her Biology class starts and, due to Cat's insistence that they have a night out, she hadn't finished her homework. Cursing under her breath when the tip of her pencil snaps, she tosses it onto the wooden table before her and reaches into her backpack for a spare.</p>
<p>She doesn't know why she allows Cat to have her way, especially when half of the time the two wind up making out in a dark movie theater or in the backseat of Tori's car, but she doesn't know how to say no to the tiny redheaded woman. Of course, if she knew how to say no…maybe things would be different.</p>
<p>Writing the final word of her statement on the theory of evolution, she drops her pencil and leans back in her chair, releasing a sigh. Across the library is a dark-haired woman, the very one who haunts her dreams, raising the problematic feelings that she had been trying so hard to keep deep down and buried. Her eyes skim over the few exposed areas of pale skin, and she feels the heated blush on her neck when she realizes that green eyes are watching her, amusement dancing in the woman's expression.</p>
<p>The other woman approaches the desk at which Victoria sits, crossing her arms. "You know, I'm not one to be jealous, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to cheat on me." Victoria raises her brow, confused. "Oh, come on, Victoria, don't act so innocent. Every time you and Cat kiss, I can feel her lips on yours. And to be honest, I'd rather you learn to keep your hands to yourself."</p>
<p>"Yeah, like I really asked for this, Jade." Victoria's angry now, standing up, the movement knocking her backpack to the floor. She ignores it, and the quiet rule of the library, and glares at the woman across the table from her. "Do you really think that I would want to be stuck sharing everything with you? I don't even like you! You're an evil, sadistic bitch that just tries to control this entire situation by blaming everything on me," she snaps. "I don't even care about this stupid legend, or whatever the hell it is, because honestly, it's only ruining my life. You're ruining my life."</p>
<p>Jade stares at her in shock, the other woman's fury coursing through her, and she holds up her hands in defeat. "We'll talk about this later when you've calmed down." She turns to walk away, but Victoria rounds the table, pinning the paler girl against the solid end of the bookcase. Jade's eyes widen because this isn't like the woman at all. "Victoria…"</p>
<p>"No, you're going to listen for once," Victoria interrupts, fingernails digging into Jade's wrists with such pressure that Jade's sure she's bleeding by now. "You sit here and complain about what I do with my roommate, when you're off doing the exact same thing with yours. Do you really think I want to hear Trina's voice in my head at what you do to her? We're not together, we never will be, so don't blame me for something I don't even want."</p>
<p>She's seething, barely registering the pounding of her heart and the fact that Jade can feel it. But the quickened pace of its beating has nothing to do with her words and both women know it. Their eyes flicker between the other's eyes and lips repeatedly before Victoria finally leans forward and kisses Jade, her hands roughly gripping the other woman's hips. Jade's hands are tangled in her hair, and she holds back a moan when the woman tugs her head back and bites at her now-exposed neck.</p>
<p>A thud echoes behind them and they yank away from each other, barely able to compose themselves as their attention is drawn to the table Victoria had occupied previously, noticing the redhead beside it. The tiny woman glares at the pair of them, but Victoria can't place the emotions in her expression; she's sure Cat's hurt and maybe angry, but she doesn't know the depth of those feelings. "Cat, it's not…"</p>
<p>"Save it, Victoria." She doesn't even waste her breath on any more words, turning away and leaving the two women where they stand at the end of the bookcase.</p>
<p>Victoria avoids meeting Jade's gaze, gathering her books and slipping them into her backpack as the bell rings, and she flees without so much as a glance in the other woman's direction. Leaning against the wall in the hallway just outside of the library entrance, she catches her breath, choking on a sob, and closes her eyes.</p>
<p>As much as she hates to admit it, she can't help how she really feels about Jade.</p>
<p>But two hours later she's knocking on the door to her dorm, hopeful that Cat will at least hear her explanation. After a few minutes of silence, she wonders if Cat's even inside the room and fumbles for the room key. However, the door opens as she holds the key to the lock, and Cat crosses the room in the opposite direction, sitting down on her bed as Victoria enters the room.</p>
<p>Neither woman speaks for a moment, until Victoria opens her mouth. "I'm sorry for what happened in the library, Cat. I just…I didn't do it to hurt you. I was just so angry with her, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but there's a legend, or a myth, or whatever it is, that says…"</p>
<p>"…That two souls are joined and merged into one, that both feel everything the other does, and that when one dies, so will the other?" Victoria's jaw drops and Cat smiles painfully. "Yeah, Victoria, I already know the legend. That's what makes it harder, to know that you and Jade are the chosen ones. I already knew when we met that I could never have you completely, as much as I wanted to." She laughs. "It was always fun, seeing the awkward glances Jade sent my way in class, or when we passed each other in the halls. But I pretended not to know what was on her mind because I didn't want her to take you from me."</p>
<p>Victoria frowns. "But if you knew it was true before we started…"</p>
<p>Cat sighs. "I wanted to enjoy being with you while I could. It hurts knowing that something is going to end long before it even starts, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't deny how I felt about you, and I couldn't stay away. And when you never objected, I thought you didn't know yet, that you and Jade hadn't realized what was happening between you. So, I took advantage of that." She stares at the opposite of the room, deep in thought; she remembers everything she'd shared with Victoria. But she frowns, causing Victoria to worry. "There is one thing, though. And honestly, I didn't want to be the one to tell you. I wanted you to find out on your own, but this…Things aren't going to end well."</p>
<p>"What are you talking about? Is something going to happen between Jade and I?" Victoria's worry is what causes Cat's eyes to meet hers. "Cat, is there something in the legend that you know that we don't?"</p>
<p>The redheaded woman hesitates before nodding. "You see, every twenty-one years…"</p>
<p>LEGEND</p>
<p>
  <i>Present</i>
</p>
<p>When Trina arrives at Tori's apartment at noon to treat her best friend to lunch, she finds the woman lying on her back on the sofa, her eyes focused on the ceiling. She knows something isn't right, that something had to have happened with Jade the night before, and she's ready to vow to herself that she'll kill the other woman for hurting her best friend. Tori's sigh, however, puts pause to that thought. "It's not what you're thinking." Trina opens her mouth to speak, but Tori continues. "I don't understand this, Trina. I have never had a problem with any woman as much as I have with Jade."</p>
<p>Trina's first conclusion is voiced. "So, you couldn't…"</p>
<p>Tori groans, sitting up and glaring at her best friend. "We didn't even try to have sex," she states, and it's the strangest sentence she's ever said. She frowns. "I couldn't. I told her I had a lot of things on my mind when she offered, and then this morning she left. She told me she couldn't do this. At first, I thought that that might have been why she was trying to get away from me, but something just…felt off about the entire thing. It was as though she left because she was trying to forget me like I was trying to forget her."</p>
<p>Trina frowns. "So, you can suddenly feel things that Jade feels? Are you on drugs?" And even though it's meant as a joke, Tori still growls, angry that the woman would even suggest something as ridiculous as that. The visiting woman sighs and sits down in the recliner and stares at her best friend. "So, explain to me what happened last night when I left."</p>
<p>And Tori tells her everything, from the moment that Trina left, until this morning when Jade had left, leaving out any details about the coin. "It was so strange," she finishes. "Last night, I couldn't tell you anything about her, and this morning when I woke up, it was as though I knew everything about her. Except that I don't. I just have these weird feelings, and it's just kind of…weird."</p>
<p>"As much as I agree with you that it is pretty strange, you should probably stop saying that things are weird. That doesn't make it sound any better."</p>
<p>Tori holds her head in her hands, hiding her face. "What am I going to do, Trina? I can't see her again; it would be too…" She chances a look in Trina's direction and uses the next word she can think of. "It would be too awkward if I saw her again." She knows it would be. Jade doesn't want to see her again and there's nothing she can do about that. Maybe if they just accidentally run into each other…</p>
<p>"Do you want to know what I think you should do?" Tori shakes her head slowly, waiting for Trina's suggestion. "I think that you should probably give the woman a few days to get her head on straight, to figure out what this is between you. And that's what you should do too. Even I can see that you're totally in love with her, and you've only known her for a few days. Although, to be honest, I thought it would never happen to you. You're not exactly the poster woman for commitment."</p>
<p>"You sure know how to make me feel better," Tori snaps sarcastically, glancing toward the door. She wonders if she should tell her best friend about the coin, but the redheaded woman's voice in her head tells her not to. <i>Sorry, Trina, I can't tell you only the biggest secret of my life.</i></p>
<p>"I know." Tori raises her brow, wondering if Trina's able to read her thoughts, and she remembers she made a comment. "Do you know what would really make you feel better? Let's go and get lunch, my treat." She thinks for a moment, before she finally nods and stands. "Go and get dressed and we'll go wherever you want."</p>
<p>Twenty minutes later, Tori's sitting in the passenger seat of Trina's car, driving to the other side of town to Tori's favorite diner, this time without Sinjin. Tori's mind explodes with thoughts of Jade, of the sadness in her eyes before she left this morning, and the woman frowns. She feels a pain in her stomach, as though she's been punched repeatedly, and she winces. Trina glances at her, concerned, but Tori forces a smile and attempts to ignore the searing stabbing in her stomach.</p>
<p>She crosses her arms and presses them against her stomach, in hopes that that will cease the pain, but it doesn't. Instead, it worsens, and she feels a familiar heat against the skin of her arms. Glancing down, she gasps at the crimson stain on her shirt, spreading into a larger circle. "What…" Her tired voice draws Trina's attention, and the other woman glances in her direction, her eyes confused and concerned. But Tori's looking straight ahead now, noticing the horrifying scene in front of her. "Trina!"</p>
<p>Trina slams on brakes, her attention in front of the vehicle, and she gasps, covering her mouth. In front of them a black car is crushed completely into the front seats, pinning a woman to the end of the guardrail on the side of the road. Trina opens her door and rushes out of the car to see if the driver and the woman are okay; Tori's head drops back, tired and unable to move, and she watches as Trina lifts the woman's head.</p>
<p>The last thing Tori sees before darkness…is green.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Tomorrow I'm getting 5 teeth pulled, so the next chapter will be posted by Sunday at the latest. If you're out protesting or caught in the riots, stay safe.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>This is it, I guess. This is the end, what we've all come to believe is our fate. We'll never know why any of this happened, or why it had to end so cruelly. But what we do know…We have the power to change it. Sure, we can't escape it, but we can handle how we deal with it. We have the power to control it, to choose when we die, even if we fail. But our time hasn't come. We only need to open our eyes.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>Are we going to survive?</em>
</p>
<p>Tori releases a sharp, ragged breath as her eyes slowly flicker open, squeezing shut when she feels a slight pressure in her chest. The last thing she remembers is seeing Jade pinned between the car and the guardrail and her own bleeding body. "Trina," she mumbles, hoping that her best friend is sitting beside the bed like every other cliché hospital scene. But there's no answer, and when Tori opens her eyes, she's alone in the bright white room.</p>
<p>She sighs and reaches for the IV in her hand, removing it. She winces as she sits up and looks around for her clothes. Instead of the outfit she wore, there's a pile of clothes in the chair beside the bed, with a folded piece of paper set on top of them, and she rolls her eyes. Of course, Trina would bring her a change of clothes, but she wouldn't be around when the woman woke up. This is just like last time.</p>
<p>Reaching for the note, her eyes skim over the neatly written excuse that Trina had left, and she sighs, removing the hospital gown and wincing while changing into the clothes. Before she pulls her shirt over her head, she examines her unmarked stomach, confused by the lack of a mark or blood. She swears she was bleeding exactly how Jade was; there was so much blood. Wasn’t there?</p>
<p>The hallway is empty when she opens the door, straightening her shirt at the same time, and she sneaks toward the elevator to search for Jade, who, if she thinks about it, is probably in the intensive care unit. She slips her cell phone from her pocket, ignoring hospital rules and texting Trina, and waits for Trina's reply, stating that Jade has been moved to an actual room after she awoke two days ago. She gives Tori the room number, 709, and the woman pockets her cell phone, taking the elevator to the seventh floor.</p>
<p>Jade's room is dark when she enters, the volume of the television below a whisper, and Tori finds the dark-haired woman asleep in her bed. Aside from the damaged body beneath the gown, she looks unharmed. Tori pulls a chair to the side of the bed and drops into it, tears flowing freely from her eyes as she holds Jade's right hand between both of hers, thumbs caressing the soft skin. "You know, this is pretty messed up, Jade. It isn't fair. But I guess you're going to be all right, and then maybe you can help me understand why I felt everything you felt in that wreck." She sighs and brushes a Jade's hair from her face, cupping the woman's cheek. </p>
<p>The pale woman chuckles, and Tori winces at the pain in her chest. "I'm not going anywhere, Tori." She takes a deep breath. "I never should have gone anywhere. This wouldn't have happened if I had just stayed with you this morning."</p>
<p>"I don't think it works like that. I think it was just an accident. That woman probably didn't see you…"</p>
<p>"I saw it happen before she hit me. That woman didn't lose control of her car and she definitely did see me. She wanted to hit me. But what I don't understand is why. What did I do to deserve this?" She glances at Tori and frowns. "You were bleeding too but you weren't hurt. What's going on, Tori?"</p>
<p>Tori shakes her head. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's scaring me. I could feel everything that you felt, all the pain and the fear…It hurt. And when I saw you, I thought you…I thought we were going to die. But what I really don’t understand is why I was bleeding. I have no wounds." She frowns. "But I don't know why I thought I was. The thought just popped into my head." Nothing makes sense, no matter how hard Tori tries to piece the puzzle together; it's almost as though the pieces are from different puzzles.</p>
<p>Both women sit in silence, averting their eyes, as though avoiding each other will bring some solution to this problem, but they know it won't. And when the door opens and Trina sneaks in, they know that they'll have to wait to discuss this, wanting to keep it between them and not involve anyone else.</p>
<p>Trina glances between them. "Did I interrupt something?" Tori and Jade shake their heads and turn their attention to the television for a distraction. "Well, you two are acting weird…" Trina mutters. "Anyway, I came to make sure both of you are all right. I called Sinjin and told him what happened, and he said that he'll pick you up tomorrow, Jade."</p>
<p>She turns to her best friend. "Are you ready to go home now or do you want to try and stay the night here with Jade?" She nods in the direction of the injured woman, silently questioning.</p>
<p>Tori's eyes briefly meet Jade's and she sighs. "I think I'm going to stay here," she replies, surprising both herself and the dark-haired woman. She hadn't intended for those words to roll off her tongue, but it was too late now, with Trina nodding and leaving the room. Tori hangs her head, staring at her lap, and Jade squeezes her hand, asking for her attention. "I'm sorry, Jade, I didn't mean…"</p>
<p>Jade smiles, but Tori knows it's fake by the way that it doesn't reach the weaker woman's eyes. "Just stay the night with me, one night. Maybe we can move past last night and everything that's happened today and just…start over?"</p>
<p>Tori nods. "I'd like that."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm sorry if this story is confusing at any time, hopefully it'll become clearer as we go.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I can't believe they actually let you stay," Jade murmured into Tori's neck, the fingers of her left hand tracing the woman's stomach through her shirt. Tori's own left arm was wrapped around the woman, holding her close to her. She's lying mostly on her side, her eyes closed as she focused on the other woman's fingers. The pain had long since subsided, shortly after Trina had left, although she's sure it had something to do with the morphine Jade had received.</p>
<p>She feels the woman's lips brush against her neck, sending chills down her spine, and she smiles. "I think I was pretty convincing though." Chuckling, she thinks about her reasoning with the nurse, why she had to stay with Jade and how it was completely true, claiming that she didn't feel well enough to go home and that she wasn't leaving Jade's side. They had offered for her to stay in the same room, but she had insisted on sharing the bed with the injured woman. Turning her head, she kisses Jade's forehead, allowing her lips to linger.</p>
<p>Tori knows that starting over like this is better than dealing with the awkwardness they would probably be facing. She smiles against Jade's forehead and opens her eyes, her attention turning to the ceiling. Jade's breathing evens and her fingers stop tracing as she slips into a soundless sleep, leaving Tori alone with her thoughts in the near-silent room.</p>
<p>
  <em>Her back hits the wall with a soft thud, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs, but she doesn't care. Jade's lips are on hers, her hands tangled in her hair, and her body pressed against hers. She barely has time to react, Jade's mouth leaving hers to trail bites and nibbles along her neck, biting down hard where her neck meets her shoulder, causing her to moan. Her hands slip beneath Jade's shirt, her nails raking along smooth, pale skin. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Just as Tori's hands move, the world spins into darkness, and she finds herself standing in the middle of a street, naked and cold. At her feet lies Jade, naked as well, blood pooling around a gash across her abdomen. When she looks down, she has a gash in the same location, blood flowing freely from the wound, a river down her leg. She turns in circles, searching for help, screaming. Perhaps someone would come running, to help them.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>However, no one comes to their aid. Tori kneels beside the dying woman, her own body becoming tired from the loss of blood. She doesn't understand why this happened or how, but she knows that they're both going to die here in the middle of the street.</em>
</p>
<p>Tori wakes in a cold, drenched sweat and heavy breathing, her eyes wide and unfocused. Jade stirs beside her, murmuring incoherently. Her heart pounding from her chest, she slips from Jade's arms and crosses the room to the bathroom. The door is barely closed behind her before she's kneeling over the toilet, sobbing and vomiting. She rocks back and forth, the dream fresh in her mind, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pressing against her abdomen.</p>
<p>She hears the door open behind her and suddenly Jade is kneeling on the floor beside her, holding her close, lips pressed against the sobbing woman's temple. She whispers that everything would be okay, that it was only a dream, and Tori realizes that the other woman had had the same nightmare. Her arms find Jade's waist, her hands clutching the hospital gown as she turns her head and buries her face in Jade's neck, sobs quietly wracking her body.</p>
<p>"Miss West, are you all right?" a nurse asks through the closed wooden bathroom door.</p>
<p>"Yes," Jade replies quietly. "My friend just had a nightmare, that's all." They hear fading footsteps, and Jade kisses Tori's forehead. "Let's go back to bed, Tori. We need to sleep before Sinjin comes to get us tomorrow." Tori nods in agreement, allowing Jade to stand and help her to her feet, and Jade guides her out of the bathroom, the palm of her left hand resting against the small of Tori's back.</p>
<p>Morning comes soon, Tori waking to the faint mango scent of Jade's skin and she murmurs, her fingers grasping the woman's opposite hip. Neither woman had had another nightmare, the single horrific image of lying lifeless in the middle of the street etched in their minds this morning. Tori shifts, her nose brushing Jade's soft, pale skin, and she plants a kiss just below the woman's ear, causing her to stir with a content sigh.</p>
<p>As comfortable as they are in each other's arms, the peace in the silent room is disrupted by the faint vibrations of Tori's cell phone in the plastic chair beside the bed and she groans, burying her face further into Jade's neck, wishing that she didn't have to move. Jade, however, reaches around her, leaving a gentle kiss on Tori's forehead, and grabs the inconsiderate device, glancing at the screen before exhaling unhappily. "Tori is unavailable at the moment; she'll call you back later."</p>
<p>She's about to hang up, but a familiar pleading voice reaches Tori's ear and she swipes the phone from Jade, who casts a disturbed glare in her direction before turning away from the woman and giving her a sense of privacy. Tori sighs and rolls her eyes before raising the phone to her ear. "What do you want, Robbie?"</p>
<p>"Trina told me you're in the hospital. Are you okay? What happened?" the man questions breathlessly and it sounds as though he's been running.</p>
<p>"Go fuck yourself." It's all she tells him before she hangs up and tosses the phone back into the chair, glancing at the woman beside her. She reaches out and touches Jade's shoulder and the dark-haired woman rolls onto her back, her eyes meeting Tori's. There's nothing to be said now, the two sharing a silent gaze before Jade cups the back of Tori's neck and brings her face down to meet hers, capturing Tori's lips with her own and moving her hand to rest on the woman's cheek.</p>
<p>They don't quite understand what's going on, but they know they'll be together no matter how difficult it may become.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is 100% flashbacks from Cat's perspective. It's also the last chapter that was originally posted. I hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Twenty-Four Years Ago…</em>
</p><p><br/>Tires squeal as the blue Camaro skids across the asphalt, finally coming to a complete halt less than ten yards from the giant oak tree at the edge of the forest. The gearshift is slammed into park and the driver door opens, a tiny redhead climbing out and squinting through the forest. She had lost sight of him as soon as he reached the edge of the woods, although in her defense, she'd been trying to avoid killing herself before she could have a chance to squeeze the breath from his throat.</p><p>She growls in frustration, slamming her fist on the roof of the car before she slides back into the driver's seat and yanks the door shut, the impact shaking the entire car. This is her final straw; he's ruined every single chance she's given him to fix this, to redeem himself. But every time she has to cover him and she's tired of being at the defense, lying to the people she cares about, lying to the police, to her teachers and his friends, and most of all…to his sister.</p><p>Why she does this is beyond her reasoning; she doesn't understand how she carries on, how she continues to return to him as though he's never done anything wrong. He doesn't appreciate the damn she gives, the sacrifices she makes to keep him free and within all permissions to commit every crime he has an opportunity to risk his life for, but she can't cease to help him. She promised his mother she would keep him out of trouble, to keep him alive and well, and yet she was sure that this was a test she was failing.</p><p>She sighs and shifts out of park, her eyes scanning the trees one final time before she drives away, leaving him behind. The sun hangs low in the sky by the time she pulls into her driveway and she grits her teeth at the sight of the brunette boy sitting on the porch step. His hands are folded in his lap and his eyes are on the sidewalk in front of him as she approaches him. Wanting nothing more than to grab him by his curls, she crosses her arms and clenches her fists, waiting for his explanation.</p><p>He takes a breath. "Look, I'm sorry about what I did, but he had it coming. The way he was treating her…"</p><p>"That's no excuse to beat the hell out of someone in a school parking lot, Robbie!" He sighs and she realizes exactly why he had acted without regard for the consequence. He's in love. And it sickens her to even be aware of such an idea; she would have to change his mind.</p><p>When he stands, his hands bury themselves in the pockets of his leather jacket and he steps toward her, leaning down slightly to plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. He walks away, leaving her behind to her thoughts. She knows that he will be all right, whether he changes his ways or not, but she hopes that he will come to his senses.</p><p>The front door to her home is unlocked, causing her to roll her eyes at the obvious visitor who would be waiting patiently for her in her bedroom. At least Robbie had done just as much as she should have expected him to; he owes her that much. Silence rings in her ears as she slowly ascends the stairs, thoughts of the inevitable future haunting her memory. She isn't sure why she's cursed with remembering; the others are fortunate enough to forget the misery, even if they barely contribute to the legend.</p><p>Pushing the door to her bedroom open, she takes a moment to let her eyes wander, finding a body bundled beneath the thick red blanket, brunette hair fanned across her pillow. She wonders how long the girl has been there, for her to have lain in the bed and fallen asleep, and moves toward the bed, shrugging her jacket from her shoulders and allowing it to drop weightlessly to the floor. The girl stirs and stills as Cat slips beneath the blanket, the redhead's arm snaking around a warm waist.</p><p>She can easily understand how Robbie could have fallen for this beautiful young woman in her bed, but he had no business in doing so. The girl in her arms isn't even hers, by default, no matter how far she herself had fallen. She can only wait for her heart to be ripped from her chest, for Victoria to be taken by none other than the raven-haired woman who haunts her dreams, and she dreads the moment their eyes will meet. However, she feels she can make the wait hers, to come between them, to claim Victoria as her own before she is stolen from her.</p><p>
  <em>Twenty-Two Years Ago…</em>
</p><p><br/>Cat sits comfortably at her regular table in her favorite diner, chin propped up by the palm of her hand as she gazes through the fogged window beside her. She had finished her first semester exams less than an hour ago, confident that she had passed each and every one of the four seemingly difficult tests. Across the street, she sees the familiar brunette curls of her best friend, his head bobbing to whatever song is playing in his headphones, hands in his pockets.</p><p>She's somewhat proud of him; he had stopped getting in trouble with law enforcement and with his teachers nearly a year ago, when Victoria had told him to change for the better. Of course, Cat should have known that the girl would have that power over the boy as though he were a puppy made to follow at her heels. But he hadn't let go of her, even going as far as asking her periodically to go on at least one date with him.</p><p>Cat didn't like that one bit.</p><p>Victoria always declined, though, stating that she was interested in someone else. Seeing Robbie crestfallen at the idea that he'd probably never win the girl's heart stirred both disappointment and contentment in the tiny redhead; she didn't particularly enjoy the boy being heartbroken. She was, however, satisfied with Victoria's reasoning, since she knows she is the "someone else"…at least for the time being.</p><p>She glances at the leather watch strapped to her wrist and sighs. Victoria should have been sitting across the table from her by now, but she hadn't seen the girl since this morning when she had left their shared room for class. She almost considers asking Robbie if he had any thoughts of where she might be, but then he would invite himself to search for her and today was a day to be spent just between them.</p><p>Taking the final sip of hot chocolate from the mug in front of her, she sets a couple of dollar bills on the table and exits through the door of the diner, pulling her jacket closer as a harsh wind sweeps at her. She frowns, wondering when it became so cold today, when it had been warmer when she had arrived at the diner, but the thought is forced from her mind when she spots Victoria jogging in her direction. The brunette halts before her, hands on her knees as she catches her breath and when her eyes meet Cat's, there's apology in them. "I'm so sorry, Cat. When I finished my exams, I went to the library to check out books for next semester, but the line was so long and…"</p><p>Cat holds up a hand and forces a smile. "It's okay, I understand." Although she feels there's something her girlfriend isn't telling her, she doesn't want to ruin the rest of their day. "Come on, maybe we can still catch the movie." Taking Victoria's hand, she leads her to the blue Camaro sitting at the curb and opens the passenger door for her, closing it once the girl is sitting in the seat. She spares one glance in Robbie's direction to find the boy staring at her before she opens the driver side door and slips in.<br/>Something feels different in the girl beside her, but Cat can't place her finger on what it could possibly be.</p><p>
  <em>Six years ago...</em>
</p><p>The reflection in the bathroom mirror bores her. She's spent five lifetimes staring into the same chocolate brown eyes, the same shortened stature, and the same blood-red hair. Nothing about her ever changes, even now as fifteen, and she grows tired of being reborn identical to her previous being. However, the other rebirths never recognize her. Her former best friend once did, three lifetimes ago when his role was as her brother; he faced a gruesome death shortly after. She was thankful that fate had prevented him from ever remembering, unable to deal with the idea of anything horrible happening to another rebirth.</p><p>She returns to her bedroom, her eyes shooting toward the calendar beside her bedroom door. In every lifetime, today is the first day her eyes ever find Victoria, the eighteenth of July, but she never knows when or where she'll ever run into the girl. Today, unfortunately, there's an overwhelming sense of dread washing over her and she fears that she'll find the girl in an unpleasant manner.</p><p>Her cell phone rings from her desk across the room and she retrieves it, answering without checking the screen for the caller ID. "Hello?" she murmurs.</p><p>"I'm going to be running a little late," her best friend of ten years replies quietly on the other end of the line. He knows she's unhappy to hear that statement, but his brother had had the car for an important job interview and he had only just returned. Cat sighs but assures him that it's fine and hangs up.</p><p>She's careful around him, knowing that he isn't reborn, and she can't bring herself to involve him into the legend that curses her life, as well as others. After she had involved Robbie in their first lifetime, when he had been a seventeen-year-old French soldier and she had been the twelve-year-old daughter of a French nurse in World War I, he had been killed by one of his fellow soldiers just two months later. His rebirth began shortly after hers, in 1927, and she had been surprised to see him again fifteen years later. He had no memory of her, or of his short life as a soldier, and she thought it for the best as she forced herself to move past the former infatuation she had had with him.</p><p>She hasn't met him in this lifetime though and hopes his cycle has ended, but the thought of that possibility is unlikely. Thus far, no cycle has ceased, the affected beings cursed into a never-ending circle, and only she remembers. Life after life, she suffers the sight of Victoria meeting Jade, their short involvements with each other, the legend restarting their lives every twenty-one years.</p><p>The doorbell rings from downstairs and her mother's voice carries through the nearly empty house to her room. She takes a deep breath before descending the stairs into living room and opening the front door to find a very handsome Beck waiting for her. His face reminds her of that Robbie she met in their first life and her heart nearly stops.</p><p>She can't involve him.</p><p>Faking a smile, she grabs her coat and slips her free hand into his offered one. His thumb brushes her knuckles subconsciously and she frowns, forcing unwanted memories from her head. His touch is too familiar, and although he isn't Robbie, he's far too similar. He opens the passenger door to his dark red Neon and Cat slips into the passenger seat, her eyes staring straight ahead as he closes the door and rounds the car to the driver's side.</p><p>The drive is nearly silent, save for Beck's occasional question, and when he parks the car in front of the cinema, he sighs and glances at his best friend. "Cat, are you okay?" The redhead frowns. "You've been quiet, and I don't know…there's just something off about you today."</p><p>Cat shakes her head. "I'm fine. Come on, we'll be late for the movie." She opens the door and climbs out of the car, closing the door and leaning against it, closing her eyes.</p><p>After a moment of hesitation, Beck finally joins her and they walk toward the cinema together, Beck opening the door for her. Cat feels guilty for pushing him away without actually pushing him away, but it's for the best.</p><p>Two extremely long hours later, the two exit the theater, each of them in separate worlds. Thoughts of Victoria briefly pass through Cat's mind as Beck starts the car, and she frowns, scanning the parking lot around them. Something is very wrong; she can feel it. She's aware as Beck drives in the direction of her house, and as they pull close to an intersection, Cat jerks back in her seat as a white car flies runs through a stop sign and slams into the car in front of them.</p><p>Beck shouts some expletive and immediately leaves the car after slamming the gearshift into park. Cat pushes the shock of the incident and slowly opens her door, sliding out of the seat. Her heart is beating rapidly, nearly threatening to leap from her chest, as she approaches the wreck, the dread pulling her toward the passenger door of the white vehicle. Unconscious and slumped in the front seat of the car is a brunette girl, cuts littering her tanned skin. Cat takes a deep breath before gently leaning the girl back in the seat to identify her face, and when the girl's hair falls from her face, Cat stops breathing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It was weird.” Tori finishes filling in Sinjin when he picks Jade and herself up from the hospital just after ten. “What do you think of it?” she asks him, noticing the stiffness in his posture as he pulled onto the highway.</p><p>He frowns and shakes his head. “Trina didn’t say anything about you bleeding too, but maybe she was caught up in the shock of finding Jade like that.” He glances in the rearview mirror at Jade in the backseat. “Are you all right back there?” She nods and stares out the window, her hand resting on her injured stomach. </p><p>Tori turns in the front passenger seat to examine the woman. Something is strange about this entire thing, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. </p><p>They reach their apartment building, and Tori helps Jade climb out of the backseat of Sinjin’s car. Tori’s apartment is quiet and empty when they enter, and she silently thanks Trina for not being here right now. Jade sits on the couch and Tori turns to Sinjin, who’s made himself comfortable in the kitchen by grabbing uncooked foods from the fridge and setting up the stove to cook breakfast for them. She joins him. “You know you don’t have to do this for us,” she tells him.</p><p>He shrugs. “I know you haven’t eaten yet, and even if you had, hospital food is not enough to survive on.” He smiles. “Besides, I love cooking for people, and you should really let me do it more often.”</p><p>“You’re always welcome to. You know, especially when Trina’s not around.”</p><p>He chuckles at that and begins humming while he cooks, as if he’s politely dismissing her. She takes her cue and returns to the living room to find that Jade is staring at the blank tv screen. As she sits next to her, Jade reaches for her hand and rests her head on Tori’s shoulder. They’re quiet for a few moments before Jade clears her throat. “These have been the strangest past few days in my life,” she mutters. </p><p>Tori nods against the top of her head. “Who knew turning twenty-one was literally going to change everything?” She wishes it was a joke, but honestly, she doesn’t know anymore. Everything feels heavy, as though something big is coming, and she doesn’t know whether to be scared or to hope for the best. </p><p>Sinjin finally finishes cooking breakfast, softly calling for them to join him in the kitchen, and Tori squeezes Jade’s hand before letting go. </p><p>Trina comes over as Sinjin is leaving after breakfast, and Tori has to admit she’s both impressed and surprised when her best friend doesn’t even flirt with him as he passes her. She seems distracted, which worries Tori more than she think it should. She smiles at Jade, whose head is in her lap, as she strokes her hair, and looks to her best friend as she sits in the recliner. </p><p>“Something is weird about you two,” Trina finally says, breaking the silence. “Ever since you met, it’s almost like something is at play, and it’s very unsettling.” Jade sits up and stares at her, mouth open to protest, but Trina raises her hand to stop her. “Don’t get me wrong, Jade, I like you two together. You’re…weirdly, a good thing in Tori’s life. But even you can’t deny that whatever happened four days ago was something out of a science fiction novel. I’ve been thinking about it ever since we got to the hospital, after Tori scared the living hell out of me with her freak out.” She stares at Tori, or rather Tori’s stomach, and frowns. “You freaked out about something but there wasn’t…there was nothing.”</p><p>Tori frowns. “I was bleeding, though. My shirt was covered in blood.”</p><p>Trina shakes her head slowly. “No, Tori, it wasn’t.” She sighs. “I thought you had seen Jade or something before I had and that you were having a panic attack, but then for the two days you’d been sleeping, you kept talking in your sleep, something about not being able to escape and surviving or something. I mentioned it to Sinjin when I called him, but he got all weird and wouldn’t really talk about it. I think he knows something.”</p><p>Tori shrugs. She remembers he had acted strange when Trina had mentioned Jade with some redhead, but it was probably nothing. She would remember to ask Jade about it later, though. Trina’s phone rings, and she rolls her eyes at the caller ID before excusing herself to the guest bedroom. “Hey, Tori?” Jade murmurs, eyes on the closed guest bedroom door.</p><p>“Yes?” </p><p>“Do you think Trina might be right about something weird going on?”</p><p>Tori reaches for her, and Jade lays down with her head in Tori’s lap. She closes her eyes as she feels the comfort in Tori’s touch as she resumes stroking her hair. Tori watches her with a sad smile, the feeling that Trina may be right nagging at her. She wants to have that conversation with Jade, but Trina can return at any moment, and she really doesn’t want to have to explain the coin to her best friend.</p><p>She hears Trina’s voice raise from the guest bedroom, catching Robbie’s name, and she rolls her eyes. A short moment passes before she opens the bedroom door with a huff, glaring at her phone and marching through the apartment to sit in the recliner. “You know what? I regret ever letting Robbie come back into your life. He’s so fucking childish!”</p><p>Tori wants to laugh, to tell her best friend that she told her so, but now doesn’t seem to be the time. “What did he do now?” she inquires instead.</p><p>“<em>Is Tori okay? Who was the girl who answered her phone? Are they together</em>?” Trina flails her arms in the air. “Talk to her yourself, Robbie!”</p><p>Tori did laugh at this, and Trina narrows her eyes. “He…might have called when I stayed at the hospital with Jade, but I kind of told him to leave me alone.”</p><p>Jade smirks. “You told him to go fuck himself, don’t downplay it.”</p><p>Trina gasps. “After all the arguing with him, I’m honestly surprised you didn’t say that to him sooner. No wonder he’s bugging the hell out of me.”</p><p>“Why does he even care about my wellbeing anyway? He didn’t seem to care when he decided to drink and drive and ghost me for weeks after the wreck.” Jade tenses, and Tori realizes that she doesn’t know any of her history with Robbie or why she refuses to let him into her life again. They had never had the chance to talk about anything through all the making out and awkwardness the night that Jade had stayed in the apartment. </p><p>She stares at Trina, who shrugs. “I don’t know, I’m not going to push you to talk to him anymore. It’s becoming pretty pathetic at this point.”</p><p>Tori laughs. “’Becoming’? Trina, I’ve been telling you since my birthday that I didn’t want him in my life. You didn’t want to believe me and tried to make me talk to him. It doesn’t just work like that.”</p><p>“I know, I know. What was I ever thinking?” Trina’s phone chirps with a text and she rolls her eyes, ready to chew Robbie, but she grins and replies. Her eyes meet Tori’s confusion and she shakes her head. “I wasn’t going to say anything yet, but I kind of met someone, and we’ve been talking for a few days.”</p><p>Yeah, something weird was going on alright.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the delay, my health has been shit and I found out I have acute diverticulitis so yay for that. <br/>This chapter is a learning experience and should get the ball rolling for what we're all here for.<br/>Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>“So, wait, you don’t know who she was either?”</p><p>Jade shakes her head, staring at the coin on the table. Tori scratches the back of her neck and sighs. “You said she just showed up here and gave you the coin as a gift?” Jade asks, trying to understand the events and what it meant.</p><p>Tori nods. “She told me not to lose the coin and that it was important for my survival. She warned me not to let history repeat itself, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this happening before. Have you?” Jade shakes her head again. “I just don’t understand.”</p><p>“What if she meant both of our survival?” Tori glances at her. “I mean, when I got pinned by that car, you were bleeding too, even though you weren’t hurt. You said you felt everything I felt in that wreck. And then when you stayed the night, you…we had that nightmare. What if we’re connected somehow?”</p><p>“You said you saw the woman who hit you. You said she hit you on purpose.” Jade stiffens. “Jade?”</p><p>Jade stares at the wall. “She approached me at the coffee shop, saying weird nonsense about fate and that I needed to be careful, but I just brushed her off, thinking she was just rambling. Do you think it’s the same woman who gave you that coin?”</p><p>Tori thinks for a minute, her heart pounding. “I think that we need to talk to Sinjin.”</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>“Tell us what you know.”</p><p>Sinjin eyes them from the recliner, confusion written on his face. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”</p><p>Tori shakes her head. “You know something about the woman that Jade was talking to the other day. As soon as Trina mentioned her, you reacted, and I want to know why.”</p><p>Sinjin glances between them, seemingly trapped. “How much do you think you know?” he counters, his eyes resting on Tori’s. “Has she spoken to you?”</p><p>“When Trina and I were shopping for our outfits for my birthday party, she was there, almost like she was searching for someone or something, and then she showed up at my apartment later to give me a coin. And Jade said that she had been approached by her at the coffee shop, which Trina told us, and that she purposely hit her that day. She saw her.” </p><p>Sinjin frowns. “That’s not how it works.”</p><p>“How <em>what</em> works?” Jade questions slowly.</p><p>Sinjin sighs and holds his face in a hand. “Look, this may be hard to believe but this isn’t the first time we’ve been alive.” Tori frowns. “There’s a legend that affects the two of you and sometimes other people are brought into the cycle, except I…I lived in the lifetime before yours, born in 1870. I didn’t know what my purpose was until I was told by my parents about the legend of two conjoined souls. They told me that it was going to be my task to make sure that the legend ends the way it’s supposed to, but I…I don’t know how it’s supposed to end. Back then, I was just a farmer’s son. What was I supposed to do?</p><p>“Then I died. I was sixteen, and I died because of a saw accident.” He shakes his head, tears forming in his eyes. “I don’t think about my first life very often.” He wipes his eyes and looks at Tori. “I was reborn a few years later, in 1890. I didn’t remember my first life at all until I was sixteen, and my mother gave birth to her only daughter, Victoria.</p><p>“All of my previous memories came back, and I had no idea why. Why would they come back on that day, of all days? I began to wonder if you were special. I began focusing all my time on you, taking care of you, treating you like a brother should truly treat his sister. Father didn’t like it very much and tried to push me into working or joining the military. ‘A man needs to work and provide for his family,’ he’d told me. Mother appreciated me taking care of you because she was becoming ill and she knew I would be there for you. </p><p>“Unlike my first life, I didn’t die when I was sixteen. I lived to watch you grow up. When you were fifteen, you had met a girl. Her mother had been a nurse during World War I, and she would share stories with you, especially about a boy she had attempted to help, but he died from bomb-inflicted wounds shortly after returning from the war. Unfortunately, she died the following year, but you lived until you were twenty-one. That’s when things started changing, and for the first time in my lives, I knew what was happening. You met Jade at a party and you both fell in love. However, it was frowned upon then, and during a walk you were both attacked and killed.”</p><p>“Good old homophobia,” Jade interjects dryly, and Sinjin nods in agreement. </p><p>“Unfortunately, I died not long after you both. I guess it was fate’s way of telling me I screwed up and that I needed to try again. The story changed. I was reborn as a twin to the girl you had befriended in your previous life, the woman that you’ve both encountered recently. She had remembered her previous life, as I had remembered mine, and we both sought out to protect you. When we were fifteen, we found you on the street, Tori. You were beaten and bloody, as though someone had decided you were to be thrown out.</p><p>“I think that’s when Catherine developed feelings for you, when she used her previous mother’s techniques to nurse you back to health. You two became almost inseparable, leaving me to try and find Jade on my own, but as legend has it, she wasn’t located until you were twenty-one. Catherine was unhappy when you chose Jade over her, and she lashed out in a jealous rage, killing all three of you. I killed myself shortly after.</p><p>“Your third life began in 1949. You were born the second daughter, after Trina, to a wealthy family, which made it slightly easier to find you, despite the fact that you often ran from home as a sort of rebellion to help make a difference in the world. Catherine, and the boy who had died in the war two lives previously, joined the cause with you, when you were fifteen, and all that was left to do was keep you alive until you could meet Jade when you were old enough. We became aware of the patterns of your lives, although it became increasingly difficult to determine how and where we would come together. Looking back, though, I can’t believe I can really say that you and Jade met at the disco.” He chuckles. </p><p>“Your grandparents were very heavy believers of the legend. I believe it was your grandmother who told you about the legend, and you both decided to go off and try to find your own answers. There was a collapse in a cave, and you both jumped to your deaths off a cliff.”</p><p>He pauses. “Your most recent previous life is an extremely interesting one, though. You and Jade managed to live until you were almost twenty-two, and you probably would have, which would have broken the cycle. I’m not sure what went wrong or how it should have changed, but Catherine came awfully close to breaking between you. You knew about the connection, that you could feel and think everything the other was feeling. You would fight constantly, always taking shots at each other and then making out in the school library.”</p><p>Jade and Tori share a glance and a smirk, and Sinjin rolls his eyes. “You probably wouldn’t have that smirk if you knew who you were hooking up with, Jade.” Jade frowns and he laughs. “You remember I mentioned this isn’t Trina’s first life either.”</p><p>“Oh. My. God.” Tori bursts into laughter, and with a less-than-favorable thought from Jade, she stops and fights a smile. “Who knew Trina could be one to get into Jade’s pants?” she teases.</p><p>Jade rolls her eyes. “Apparently, it was a different time,” she suggests.</p><p>Tori becomes serious and turns to Sinjin. “So…how do we stop this thing?”</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: This is the last chapter I have written right now so I have no clue when I'll have the next chapter posted, just know it'll be sometime in early July. </p><p>Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tori’s eyes are heavy as she reads through the fiftieth—or whatever number—book she’s been trying to read, hoping to find something related to the legend, to find answers. Across her living room, Jade is sprawled on the couch, sound asleep, and Tori feels a little jealous, though she knows the only reason Jade was even able to fall asleep is because they had been awake for nearly three days straight. Tori sighs in frustration, and closes the book, pushing it off the table. </p><p>Unfortunately, there seems to be no answer for how the legend ends.</p><p>Jade stirs, mumbling in her sleep, and Tori stands, stretching. She supposes joining the woman on her couch and getting some sleep might help, and she does, easily crawling over Jade to fit between her warmth and the couch, loosely draping her arm over Jade’s waist. Jade sighs peacefully and relaxes into Tori’s touch, and Tori realizes that she wants this for the rest of their life, however short that may be. </p><p>She isn’t sure what time it is before she motivates Jade to move to her bed with her, but she vaguely remembers half-dragging the woman down the hall and hitting Jade’s head on the wall, causing a dull pain to form in the same spot of her own forehead. </p><p>The next morning, she wakes up to find herself Jade’s little spoon, the woman’s arm draped tightly around her waist and her breath tickling the back of Tori’s neck. She’s content to just lie here in bed all day, but they need to figure out how to stop their life cycles, and they need to do it soon. The anxiety of their impending doom hits Tori suddenly, and her chest tightens as she realizes that this could end any moment now, restarting their lives entirely. </p><p>Jade stirs, her lips pressing against the back of Tori’s neck, and Tori almost instantly relaxes, covering the hand on her stomach with her own. “Please don’t think about that,” Jade murmurs against her skin. “We’ll find a way, but for right now…Can we please just do this?”</p><p>Tori nods slightly. “I want to, but…I know you think about it too, Jade.”</p><p>Jade sighs. “We’re meant to be, and there’s something in that, in <em>us</em> that is the answer. But whatever it is, we’re going to have to figure it out together, and I know that we’re going to think about what’s going to happen if we don’t figure it out this time. It’s inevitable. I just want to enjoy myself and my time with you more than think about that, okay?”</p><p>Tori turns to face Jade, Jade’s arm still around her waist, and reached up to cup Jade’s cheek as she leans in to kiss her. Kisses become heated, and before Tori can attempt to separate Jade’s thoughts from her own, Jade is straddling her hips, hands on her stomach, cautiously pushing Tori’s shirt up.</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>Tori sits on the couch, skimming through yet another book, attempting to ignore Jade’s not-so-subtle glances from the kitchen as she makes breakfast. Earlier was…interesting, at the very least.</p><p>
  <em>Interesting? You weren’t complaining when I was—</em>
</p><p>“Stop interrupting my thoughts,” Tori mutters, turning the page, and Jade laughs, flipping a pancake. “I meant interesting as in being able to feel everything we felt at the same time, and yes, I mean in a <em>very</em> good way, Jade. Now, hush.”</p><p>“I know what you meant, I just wanted to—”</p><p>Tori’s phone rings, cutting off Jade’s thought, and Tori reaches for the offending device on the coffee table. “Sinjin?” she answers.</p><p>“What did you do?” he questions instantly.</p><p>“What do you—”</p><p>“Is your door unlocked?”</p><p>“Ye—”</p><p>The apartment door opens suddenly, and Sinjin enters the apartment, Trina on his heels. He looks out into the hallway, as though he’s looking for something, and he closes the door, locking it. Turning back to Tori, he narrows his eyes. “Something’s different. You both did something that has never been done in any of your lifetimes and—”</p><p>“<em>You slept together</em>!” Trina nearly shouts, and Sinjin whips his head to look at her as blushes cover Jade and Tori’s faces. “I know that look, Tori, we’ve been friends for years and every time you—”</p><p>“We don’t need to talk about it,” Tori interrupts, looking away. Unfortunately, now she’s looking at Jade in the kitchen, and the woman is smirking, smug as hell. “Anyway, what does it matter if we did or not?”</p><p>Sinjin rubs the back of his neck. “Well, as far as I know, you both never did in any of the previous lives.”<br/>Trina nods. “And I never remembered any of my past lives until now.” Jade and Tori stare at her, but Sinjin doesn’t, as though he already knows. “I was on my way here earlier, but then something felt weird and I was having weird thoughts and images cross my mind. Except that they weren’t totally weird because I could remember them happening. I almost wrecked my car, but thankfully I managed to stop. And then I came here and Sinjin was already walking in, so I guess I had good timing.”</p><p>Jade turns off the stove and frowns. Her eyes meet Tori’s and the same thought crosses through both of their minds. Sinjin and Trina look between them and then share their own glance and an eye roll. “Please, explain to the rest of the room who can’t hear your thoughts,” Trina suggests.</p><p>Jade rolls her eyes at her. “We were just thinking…If we unlocked your memories and Sinjin felt something change, then could <em>she</em> have felt it too?”</p><p>Sinjin shrugs. “I suppose it’s possible, if we did.”</p><p>“But wait,” Tori starts. “You already remember everything, and Trina just now remembers everything. Why didn’t <em>our</em> memories come back? I know you said that in one of the past lives we knew everything, but did we remember any other lives?”</p><p>Sinjin thinks about her questions and frowns. “No…I don’t think you and Jade ever remembered anything that has previously happened to you. But you’ve also never done anything to cause anyone else to remember anything, either, except for your birth jumpstarting mine and <em>hers</em> surfacing at some point in your lives.”</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>Across town, Robbie sits slumped at the bar stirring his drink with a tiny straw. He notices a woman sit down a few stools down, signaling the bartender and quietly ordering her drink, and he sits up straight suddenly. The barkeeper nods and busies himself, setting to work on making her drinks. She looks at Robbie with a gentle smile, approaching him.</p><p>“Is this stool taken?” she asks. He shakes his head and swallows the lump in his throat as she sits down. “Do you remember me?”</p><p>“Why do I suddenly remember things that happened almost a hundred years ago?” he growls.</p><p>“I’m not sure, but I think Jade and our beloved Tori did something.” The barkeeper approaches and sets a drink in front of Cat, and she smiles tightly, handing him a few bills. He nods and leaves them alone, moving to the other end of the bar to clean the few glasses used by other patrons. “Something’s different this time, though.” She takes a sip and chuckles. “He never did disappoint.”</p><p>“What does Tori have to do with anything? Why can I remember her in different ways?” Robbie questions.</p><p>Cat stares at him for a moment. This isn’t his first life, and he has very little to lose in this one. She supposes the truth won’t hurt him and begins their story.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I didn't realize that it's been over a week since I updated this. This chapter is going to have another character's insight on past events, as well as some foreshadowing. I hope you enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Everything has changed. </em>
</p><p><br/>Tori sits on the balcony outside of her apartment and stares out at the world around her, as life goes on oblivious to their lives. Tori had filled Sinjin and Trina in about the coin that Cat had given her, and Sinjin had become somewhat disturbed by the information. When she had handed the coin to him, however, her entire body had felt as though she had been set on fire, which, in turn, caused Jade the same discomfort. He insisted that they hold onto it to alleviate that feeling but assured them that he would focus on any previous memories concerning the coin. </p><p>Trina had only shaken her head and informed them that she absolutely did not recall ever seeing the coin and had refused to touch it after witnessing their reactions when Sinjin had held it. </p><p>To say that she was grateful that she no longer had to hide things from Trina was an understatement. They had been best friends for years, lifetimes apparently, and as dramatic and overwhelming as Trina could be sometimes, she loved and trusted her. She had felt horrible about hiding this from her, as unnecessary as it had been. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but it was a few pebbles among the boulders that remained. </p><p>She looks down and examines the golden coin in her hands. The coin is still faceless, with the string of letters along the edge, but something is different. The letters have moved and formed two words: LIFE and DEATH. She frowns and turns the coin over to find the opposite face completely bare. </p><p>The glass door slides open behind her, and she flinches, nearly dropping the coin. “Do you mind if I join you?” Jade asks quietly.</p><p>Tori plasters a smile as genuine as possible and glances up at her. “Of course,” she responds. Jade closes the door, sits beside her, their shoulders touching, and focuses on the coin. “Something’s different,” Tori explains, turning the coin over again, but this time the coin only said LIFE. She frowns again. “What…It said both ‘LIFE’ and ‘DEATH’. What the hell?”</p><p>Jade mirrors her frown and reaches for the coin, Tori handing it to her. “It didn’t say anything specific before,” she points out. “What do you think it means?” </p><p>“I think it means that Cat knows exactly what this means.”</p><p>Jade turns to her. “You’re not going to look for her, are you?”</p><p>Tori bites her lip and nods. “I think we have to.”</p><p>“Tori, she’s killed us before. She tried to kill me in <em>this</em> life. Who’s to say she won’t try it again?” Jade grabs Tori’s hand. “Can we just…not deal with her right now? We know she’s dangerous. And we’re supposed to be figuring out how to survive this life, not trying to kill ourselves.”</p><p>A muffled knock on the door reaches Tori’s ears and she sighs, standing up. She pulls Jade to her feet, and the pair of them return into the apartment. Tori opens the door and scowls. “Robbie, what are you doing here?” she demands.</p><p>“We need to talk,” he insists, slipping past her into the apartment. His eyes meet Jade’s, and he frowns. “Good, you’re already here. I’m assuming you both did something that caused a shift and brought back some memories.”</p><p>Tori closes the door and turns to him. “What are you talking about? You—” she starts, but he interrupts.</p><p>“Yeah, Tori, I’ve been in various lifetimes in the last one hundred years, and let me tell you, it caused a hell of a headache when everything started forcing itself back into my memory.” He moves to the couch. “Mind if I sit? You aren’t going to try and kill me or anything?” Tori shrugs, and he sits on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I’m going to go ahead and apologize for every shitty thing I’ve done in this life because apparently this is the only life where I’ve been a total piece of shit.” He looks at her. “For the wreck, for treating you like I have, fucking all of it, I’m sorry. Nothing I can even think of is an excuse, not even the wreck.”</p><p>“You’ll have to understand that I can’t forgive you right now,” Tori replies, and he nods.</p><p>“I know, but I needed to say it. And I need to know how much of everything you remember. Surely, you two have your memories?”</p><p>Jade shakes her head. “Unfortunately, we were excluded from the instant memory replenishment.” She shares a glance with Tori. “We were told a lot about our past lives, mainly Tori’s, but you were never mentioned, at least not by name.”</p><p>“You were the boy in the war,” Tori points out suddenly, and Robbie and Jade turn to her. “Sinjin mentioned “the boy who had died in the war” multiple times, but neither of us asked who he was talking about.”</p><p>Robbie smiles for a moment, but it’s replaced with a frown again. “Yeah, I got hurt in the war and came back to the states. That’s how I met Cat.” His frown deepens. “I think that’s how I got sucked into this shit.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I think…I think this is our last life. Whether you survive it or not, I think this is your final chance. Something’s going to happen, and I’m not sure when or what, but I can feel it.”</p><p>
  <em>Well, that’s not cryptic and ominous as fuck.</em>
</p><p>“Do you know anything about a weird coin?” Tori asks him, feeling the coin burn in her pocket. He seems to think for a moment and shakes his head. She removes it from her pocket and holds it up for him to see, but his expression never changes. There’s no realization or remembering. “I just thought you might know what it was. Cat gave it to me, before I knew who she was.”</p><p>He shrugs. “Cat was always strange in our previous lives. She always acted as though she had this huge secret and didn’t really get close to anyone, except for you.” Tori raises a brow, and he rolls his eyes. “In previous lives, I may have thought I loved you and wanted to be with you, but I always felt like I was competing with Cat for your attention, or rather, she was trying to eliminate me from the competition. Not that you’re something that can be won,” he added quickly. “Honestly, if I had known about this legend or even that you were not meant to be with me at all, I would have backed off entirely and just lived my life.”</p><p>“But she knew everything, the entire time.”</p><p>Robbie sighs. “I don’t know, Tori. I don’t know who the fuck she is anymore. She came to me and told me shit from the past that I didn’t know, and she grabbed me with her fucking hooks again, and I don’t…” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I guess, looking at this life has me feeling like I should have been grateful I didn’t remember her until now. Everything would be so much better.”</p><p>Tori moves to sit on the coffee table in front of him and he’s forced to look at her. “What do you mean she ‘grabbed you with her hooks again’?” she asks slowly.</p><p>Robbie’s eyes flicker between Tori and Jade, and he shakes his head. “When I came back during the war, Cat never left my side. It was normal, I guess, for that type of thing. You know, injured soldiers coming home and their wives or girlfriends staying by their side until the bitter end. Except that’s not what we were. The only reason she was there was because of her mom and because there were so many soldiers and they were short nurses. I was seventeen, and she was twelve, so I wasn’t even thinking anything like that. “I kind of remember dying. I was in a lot of pain, trying not to focus too much on it, and she sat down in the chair next to the bed and started humming a song I hadn’t heard since I was little. It wasn’t an unpopular lullaby or anything. Anyway, I could feel life slipping away. In the final few moments, she was crying, and she said something weird, like creepy weird. She told me that just because I was dying, it wasn’t over, that I was needed.”</p><p>He frowns. “I didn’t remember anything from any other life until today. And everything I <em>do</em> remember; she wasn’t good to me. She was hell. I want to wish that I didn’t know all of this, that I could have just remained oblivious, but I want to know what she’s planning to do. She has to be planning something, right?”</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>Tori lay on the couch, her head in Jade’s lap as the other woman runs her fingers through her hair. The sun had set shortly after Robbie left, over an hour ago, but neither of them had the energy to get up and turn on any lights. They’re still processing what Robbie had told them, and his indirect warning that Cat was indeed dangerous. “We need to tell Sinjin what he told us,” Jade whispers. “There’s a chance that Cat was alive during his first life, and he needs to know that she might be the reason that everything is the way that it is.”</p><p>Tori doesn’t respond, instead chews her lip in the dark, and she feels Jade shift slightly before lips are pressed against her forehead. She closes her eyes and reaches up to touch Jade’s cheek, accidentally poking her in the eye. “Damn it, Tori, maybe we should turn on a light,” Jade teases, reaching for the lamp next to the couch. The light is dim but bright enough to make Tori wince and squeeze her eyes shut.</p><p>“Jade.”</p><p>“Don’t be such a vampire, the light won’t burn you.”</p><p>Tori shakes her head and looks up at Jade. “No, it’s not that. When I showed Robbie the coin, I didn’t show him the side with the words.” Jade raises a brow. “When we were sitting outside and I showed you, it said ‘Life’, right?” Jade nods, and she sighs. “When I showed Robbie, it didn’t.”</p><p>“It didn’t say anything?”</p><p>“No, it did. And I really hope that it doesn’t mean what I think it means.”</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, sorry for the wait. I've been dealing with a lot of drama and stuff, and because this chapter is 100% fluff, it was hard to write when I wasn't in the right mood. </p><p>Please enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jade wakes up cuddling her little spoon, kissing the back of Tori’s neck and feeling the woman shift to snuggle closer to her. She had dreamed of spending every morning like this before she’d met Tori, but she’d never realized that they were meant for this, literally. Holding Tori this close feels like home, as cliché as it sounds, and though they aren’t sure how long they have together, being with Tori has its own peace.</p><p>She remembers when they met on Tori’s birthday at the bar. She hadn’t been invited, per se, she’d heard a friend mention it, but she’s glad that she had listened to the tiny voice in her head that told her to check it out. She’d watched Robbie yell at her, wishing that she could have stopped it, but it hadn’t lasted long enough for her to get involved. She had wanted to ask her if she was okay, but before she could, Tori had grabbed a pretty girl from the bar and gone into the bathroom for pretty obvious reasons. </p><p>Jade’s not afraid to admit she was a little more than jealous at that, but Tori is a lot more than just a quick session in the bathroom. Her head hurt when they collided and she’d felt a weird burning sensation on her thigh, that she could probably assume was the coin, now that she knew what it was. She remembers choking up and losing her words as Tori struggled through her apology, and she had determined that it was easier to walk away before Tori could have even noticed that she was blushing. </p><p>She had composed herself to finally approach her, to make sure she was okay, because she was concerned that Tori was overwhelmed and had too much, both alcohol and people. She wasn’t sure she was going to get along with Trina, but at the same time she enjoyed butting heads with Tori’s best friend, and now that she knew that they had been <em>involved</em>, it would make aggravating Trina even more fun. </p><p>Tori groans and rolls over to face Jade. “Do you really have to be so <em>loud</em>?” she mumbles, and Jade chuckles, kissing her nose. “Stop trying to be cute when you’re talking about annoying Trina.”</p><p>“Would you rather I annoy you?” Jade teases, and Tori rolls her closed eyes. </p><p>Jade’s hand moves in and she pokes Tori’s side, causing the woman to squeal and slap her shoulder. “Jade! That’s not funny.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, let me make it better.” Jade grins and leans forward to kiss Tori, but just before they connect, Tori returns the favor with a finger stabbed into her ribs, causing her to flinch. “Damn it, Tori!” she laughs, holding Tori’s hand by her side. </p><p>An hour later, they’re still in bed, Tori’s curled against Jade’s side as Jade traces patterns on her exposed back. “Do you think we’ll manage to stay in bed all day, or do you think someone’s going to come and interrupt our peace?” Tori asks quietly.</p><p>Jade shrugs. “When do we ever have peace anymore?”</p><p>Tori kisses her shoulder and smiles. “We have peace right now.” Jade returns her smile. “We deserve it, at least. As much as we have to deal with now and in the future, we deserve to just be lazy and lay here together.”</p><p>“You’re such a sap.”</p><p>“Oh, and you’re not? ‘You had to walk away from me before I could see that you were blushing?’ Is that not what happened?” Tori laughs, and Jade feels the heat rising in her cheeks. She’d forgotten that Tori can read <em>all</em> of her thoughts. </p><p>“Like you didn’t stumble over apologizing to me?” Jade asks, raising a brow. Tori blushes now, and Jade chuckles. “You didn’t have to think that one, babe, I was there. Honestly, though, I was caught off-guard by a very beautiful woman literally running into me and almost giving me a concussion.”</p><p>“Dork.”</p><p>“You love me.”</p><p>There’s a moment of silence as Tori bites her lip, and Jade realizes she hadn’t thought before she spoke. Backtracking would only hurt them both and saying anything else might ruin any chance this conversation would stay free of awkwardness. Tori smiles and kisses her. “I do love you,” she whispers against her lips. “But you’re still a dork.”</p><p>Jade shrugs and tightens her arms around Tori’s waist. “Oh, what you do to me,” she murmurs, leaning to kiss Tori, but a loud vibration from the nightstand interrupts her thoughts and she groans. “Damn it, why couldn’t it be on silent?”</p><p>Tori chuckles and reaches past her, retrieving her phone from the nightstand. Reading the screen, she rolls her eyes and sets the ‘do not disturb’ mode before returning her phone to its previous location. “It’ll only be important if it goes off now,” she assures Jade. Jade grins at her and kisses her. </p><p>LEGEND</p><p>“You know, eventually we’ll have to get out of bed.”</p><p>Tori groans, burying her face in Jade’s naked shoulder, attempting to ignore her and go back to sleep. “It’s nighttime, time to sleep,” she argues. They had stayed in bed for the entire day without another interruption, and she’s damned if she has to get up now. </p><p>Jade sighs and reaches for her phone, glancing at the screen. “No one even bothered to check in on us. Some friends we have,” she murmurs. Tori doesn’t respond, snoring quietly, and Jade smiles, running her fingers through the sleeping girl’s hair. She wishes things could be like this all the time, but something big is happening, and they aren’t going to be at peace again for a while, if ever again. She tries to quiet her thoughts and kisses Tori’s forehead, holding her closer. “I love you,” she whispers. “Even if our world is ending.”</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it's been a while since my last chapter but it wouldn't write itself.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Okay, so it seems like everyone got their memories, except for us, which doesn’t make any sense because we’re the ones this whole thing is about, right? Sinjin’s always remembered his past lives when I’m born, and Trina finally remembers this time around because we…uh…” Tori blushes, avoiding making eye contact with anyone. Jade snickers, causing Tori to roll her eyes. “And Robbie also remembers everything for the first time. Plus, Cat has always remembered. Is there anyone else in this fucked up shape that has been living lives with us?”</p><p>Their three guests think for a moment and shake their heads. Sinjin stands up. “I don’t remember seeing anyone else in multiple lives, so I think we might be safe from any unknown friends or foes,” he offers, moving to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee.</p><p>Tori frowns. The word on the coin is etched in her mind, and she contemplates whether she should tell their friends. Jade’s eyes meet hers from where she’s leaning against the wall by the kitchen and she shakes her head slowly. <em>We’ll tell Robbie on his own, just in case it doesn’t mean anything.</em></p><p>The man in question clears his throat, looking between them. “What should I do?” he inquires, his brows furrowed, and they realize they had missed the first time he asked. “I know I’m not as important as both of you in this life fuckery, but Cat’s not just going to leave me alone to focus on you. She’s going to do what she’s always done and do something to me.”</p><p>“He’s right,” Trina agrees next to him. “Cat knows we all remember now. Or at least, she knows all of you remember; I’m not entirely sure she knows I do.”</p><p>“She knows Robbie remembers, and he never has before,” Tori counters. “There’s a chance she might think you remember too.”</p><p>“Great, so we’re all fucked,” Jade inputs, crossing her arms.</p><p>“More or less,” Robbie groans, leaning back into the couch.</p><p>Sinjin pours his cup of coffee and turns to the room. “Something about all of this doesn’t make sense.” He takes a sip and swallows as four pairs of eyes land on him. “I’m remembering something you said before, Tori, about the coin. You said Cat warned you about losing it when she gave it to you. ‘Don’t let history repeat itself’, she said.” He takes another sip. “Why would she warn you when she was the one who killed you once before?”</p><p>“You know, it makes it so much more ominous when you drink your coffee between thoughts,” Jade marvels. “You should do it more often.”</p><p>Sinjin chuckles. “My husband hates it.” He turns back to Tori. “Unless she’s got something up her sleeve, I don’t see the point in warning you.”</p><p>Tori shrugs. “When Trina and I were at the mall trying on clothes, she was there, but she wasn’t alone. There was a guy with her, and it was almost like he was asking her permission to leave her side to talk to someone.”</p><p>Robbie leans forward. “That’s…not surprising, considering what I’ve seen from our past lives. When I was dying the first time, she seemed to be able to control my death. I don’t remember her actually treating anyone like a servant at all, or like she was controlling anyone, but it could have been something else.”</p><p>Sinjin’s phone rings, interrupting the conversation, and he glances at the device on the counter. He sets his mug on the counter and answers the phone, retreating further into the kitchen. Jade moves across the room to give him privacy, sitting sideways in Tori’s lap and propping her legs up on the side of the chair. “I’m definitely not used to seeing this,” Trina mutters.</p><p>The women ignore her, staring at each other silently. Sinjin hangs up and rejoins them. “It looks like I’m needed at home. We’ll discuss more of this later.” They say their goodbyes and watch him leave the apartment, closing the door behind him.</p><p>Trina stands and stretches, checking the time on her phone. “I’m going to take a nap. This craziness has given me a headache.” She squeezes Robbie’s shoulder and he nods up at her, seemingly distracted, and she retreats to the guest bedroom.</p><p>Tori narrows her eyes at Robbie, and Jade touches her cheek. <em>Now.</em> Jade kisses her and stands. “I think I’m going to go take a nap too.” Tori nods and watches her all the way to the bedroom, where Jade closes the door behind her.</p><p>“Hey, do you want to get some fresh air? I’m kind of hungry,” Robbie suggests, and Tori nods.</p><p>The two of them leave the apartment, locking the door behind them, and make their way to the elevator. The ride to the ground floor is silent as they avoid making eye contact, and Robbie shoves his hands in his jacket pockets as they walk toward the bakery down the street. They order a couple of scones and sit at a table toward the rear of the building.</p><p>“I have something to tell you,” Tori says quietly, drawing Robbie’s gaze to her. “Jade already knows because of the whole joined soul thing, but we didn’t want to say anything in front of Sinjin or Trina because it could also probably be nothing, and if it’s nothing, then we didn’t want to—”</p><p>“Tori, you’re rambling,” he interrupts. She frowns, and he shrugs. “If it’s about the coin, I already know. I’ve been having this really weird feeling ever since you showed it to me, and I’m afraid that it might mean what you think it means.”</p><p>“You…know?”</p><p>He nods. “I remembered something about my past, but I didn’t want to say anything in front of them either because it won’t make any sense.”</p><p>“What won’t make any sense?” she questions.</p><p>“I lied before, when you asked if I knew about the coin.” She opens her mouth to speak, but he shakes his head. “I didn’t want to remember it, and then you showed me, and I had to pretend like I didn’t know what it was.”</p><p>“What is it, Robbie? What does it mean?”</p><p>He stares at his scone. “It’s kind of a long story, but the coin was mine.”</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>Cat sits at the bar and orders a soda, paying the bartender and watching as he moves to the other end of the bar to help another patron. The bar is nearly empty, save three other people, but no one is paying attention to her, and she only pays enough attention for the event that one of them might approach her. She vaguely notices the man who enters the bar and stares ahead at the shelves of liquor in front of her as he sits.</p><p>“Why am I here?” he asks.</p><p>She shrugs and glances at him. “You’re the one who chose to come here. I merely suggested we speak.”</p><p>He rolls his eyes. “That’s what I meant, Cat. Why did you want to speak with me? I have enough to deal with without you interfering in my own life.”</p><p>“Have they figured out anything about the coin I gave her?”</p><p>He shakes his head slowly. “I don’t think so.”</p><p>Cat sighs. “What good are you, Sinjin? You’re supposed to be helping them figure it out. Robbie remembers things that he never remembered before, so something’s different this time. This is possibly our last life, which means they’ll figure it out, but I’m getting impatient.”</p><p>“I know you are, considering you took it upon yourself to hit Jade with a car.” She stares at him and narrows her eyes. “She saw you before she passed out. She knows it was you. Why did you do it? We aren’t supposed to directly interfere with them.”</p><p>“They needed a little push. As much as it pains me to see them together, they <em>are</em> destined to be together, and something felt off about seeing Jade alone after Tori’s birthday party. I guessed that they hadn’t figured out what they needed to.”</p><p>“But still, Cat, a car?”</p><p>Cat shrugs. “Did it work?”</p><p>“That’s beside the point.”</p><p>“Is it?” Cat challenges. “Well then, we’ll just have to see what happens next, shall we?”</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A/N: Took me forever to write this because I was stuck, but I finally managed it. I know what I'm doing for the next chapter so hopefully it shouldn't be too long before I update again.</p><p>I haven't asked during this story, but I would really appreciate if y'all could comment and give me some feedback. It would really help me try and figure this out.</p><p>Enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Wait, <em>what</em>?”</p><p>Robbie sighs. “When I was a kid, my dad gave me that coin. He told me that it was something like guidance in life, and it would help me make the right decisions. Being a delinquent, I took it as a challenge and tried to do the most dangerous things possible. Why wouldn’t I do things if it said I was going to live through them? What was the point in being afraid to do some dumb shit?”</p><p>He pauses. “He didn’t tell me that making the right decisions meant the people around me were affected. At first, I didn’t really notice because it was little things like my little brother breaking his neck falling out of a tree, or my friend on the farm in the next town accidentally hacking off his leg and dying from blood loss. They weren’t things I did directly, so how was I supposed to know? I thought the life and death written on the coin only applied to me.</p><p>“But then I went to war. The coin read ‘death’ on it for so long I thought I was the one that was going to die, but then I realized the truth. Everyone I showed, when it said ‘death’, they died shortly after. Only a few ever said ‘life’, including myself, until that bomb took us out and I was sent back to the states to be treated. The final day of my life, it finally said ‘death’ for me, and Cat was there to, I don’t know, <em>activate</em> my reincarnation, if that’s what happened.”</p><p>“Did you tell her what it meant?” Tori asks, and he stares at his scone for a moment.</p><p>“She didn’t ask, but I think she already knew. She would look at it sometimes, as though she were waiting for something specific, which I believe was my death.” He shakes his head and looks at Tori. “I didn’t have it at all after that life, so maybe Cat had it all along.”</p><p>They sit in silence as they finish eating, unsure what to say. As they leave the bakery, Robbie shoves his hands in his pockets and frowns as they walk. Tori glances at him and bumps his shoulder with hers. “Do you mind sharing with the class?” she asks, trying to lighten the mood.</p><p>He sighs. “Do you think it would have been different if we had known sooner? I mean,” his forehead creases as he contemplates how to reword his question, “if I had remembered my past, and you had known about everything, do you think we would have been friends and could have avoided the bullshit?”</p><p>Tori shrugs. “I suppose it’s possible. Before—before the wreck, you were a decent person and I <em>did </em>love you, but then you became someone I no longer wanted to associate with, and it just kept getting worse. Would remembering your past lives have changed that at all?” Robbie doesn’t respond, and Tori nods. “I think it could have been different somehow, but we can’t dwell on it. All we can do is move forward.” She walks a few more steps before realizing Robbie isn’t beside her. Turning around, she notices he’s stopped in front of the pizza place, staring inside. “Robbie?”</p><p>He glances at her. “Is Trina seeing someone?” he questions, and Tori raises a brow. “She’s uh, she’s eating with someone.”</p><p>Tori approaches him and follows his gaze. Sure enough, Trina isn’t alone, but her stomach drops when she sees her partner. “Is he familiar to you? Have you ever seen him before?” she inquires.</p><p>“No, why? Have you seen him before?”</p><p>Before she can answer, her phone rings and she raises it to her ear. “Tori, are you okay?” Jade’s concerned voice comes through the speaker. “I swear to god, if Robbie—”</p><p>“There’s something I need to tell you. Robbie and I are on the way back right now.”</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>“You’re sure it’s the same guy?”</p><p>Tori sighs from her seat in the recliner. “Yeah, I’m absolutely sure that was the same guy I saw with Cat on my birthday.”</p><p>Robbie frowns and taps his fingers on the arm of the couch. “I don’t recognize him. I mean, it’s possible he was just never around at the same time I was in past lives, but that doesn’t even seem right to me. I think this might be his first and only.”</p><p>“Would Cat do that? Would she bring someone else into this mess?”</p><p>He shrugs. “Who knows? Trying to understand Cat is like sticking your head underwater and wondering why you can’t breathe.” He stands suddenly. “I’m going to go home.”</p><p>“Robbie…”</p><p>He scratches the back of his neck. “Tori, we all know what the coin said and what it means. I can’t…I need to go home.” Pulling her to her feet, he wraps her in a tight hug, burying his face in her hair for a moment, before letting her go. He turns to Jade. “Please take care of each other.”</p><p>With that, he leaves the apartment in a hurry, and a heavy silence floods the apartment. Minutes feel like days before Jade finally moves, embracing Tori. “Do you want to go for a walk?” Jade murmurs into Tori’s shoulder, and the woman nods. The pair leaves the apartment and heads for the park silently, hand in hand.</p><p>Sitting on the swings, they glide back and forth, occasionally glancing at each other with sad smiles. Jade stops swinging abruptly, and Tori frowns. “Let’s get out of here, Tori. Even for just a day or so, let’s just get out of town and have fun.”</p><p>“And go where? We don’t even know what we’re supposed to be doing.”</p><p>“We can go anywhere. Look, we’re stressing ourselves out, and thinking about everything all of the time isn’t going to help anything. Sinjin and Trina can keep us updated if Cat does something, but you and I just need to go somewhere.”</p><p>Their eyes lock for the longest time, and a siren echoes in the distance. Jade feels Tori’s heart drop, and she swallows the lump in her throat. Finally, the woman nods. “Let’s go.”</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter Eighteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First of all, I am SO sorry for taking forever on this chapter, I was struggling with it for some reason. But after the end of the last chapter, I think we all know it's time for the storm. </p><p>So this chapter is important. </p><p>Please enjoy and leave a review. I really want to know your thoughts so that I can finish this story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>“Jade—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We know,” Jade answers quietly. Trina sighs on the other end of the line. “We’re just going to be out here for a couple of days, and when we get back, we’ll do something. She needs a break. We both do.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We’ll let you know if something happens.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you, Trina.” </em>
</p><p>Jade sits on the edge of the cliff, watching the sun set. A small waterfall flows nearby, the calming sound of water and nature creating peace. Tori had requested a moment alone an hour or so ago, and Jade reluctantly put space between them, trying to distract herself from Tori’s sadness through their connection that made her want to go back to her. A moment later, arms slip around her shoulders and a chin rests on top of her head. “It’s so beautiful out here,” Tori murmurs, and Jade smiles, kissing Tori’s hand. “I swear, if you say, ‘not as beautiful as you’, I’m leaving you here and going home.”</p><p>Jade chuckles. “I wasn’t going to say anything. I’m just happy you caught the sunset in time.” Tori sighs, and Jade looks up at her. “I’m here for you, Tori. I know how you’re feeling, though it’s more of a technicality than anything, but I <em>do</em> know.”</p><p>“Have you heard from them?” Tori changes the subject, and Jade shakes her head.</p><p>They sit in silence, Jade taking Tori’s hand threading her fingers between her lover’s. She looks up at Tori again and smiles. “You know, we <em>are </em>alone out here,” she points out suggestively, and Tori rolls her eyes.</p><p>“Yes, I know. You said that right before we went skinny dipping last night, and then again right after we woke up this morning because you were feeling frisky, and then again after we ate lunch and—”</p><p>“Are you objecting?” Jade interrupts with a fake pout, and Tori rolls her eyes again, kissing her chastely.</p><p>“No, I’m not objecting.” She sighs. “I appreciate that you’re trying to distract me, Jade, but your thoughts are just as loud as mine, no matter how hard you try to shove them out of reach.” She pauses for a moment. “I want to talk about it.” Jade nods but doesn’t say anything as Tori sits beside her, swinging her legs over the edge of the cliff. “I don’t know why it’s hitting me as hard as it is. For most of the time that I knew him in this life, he’s been the worst. I’ve tried to forgive him during this last week, ever since we found out about us, but that doesn’t erase all of the feelings I held toward him for years.</p><p>“I don’t magically forgive him, even though he’s—I want to be able to move past what I’ve gone through where he was involved. I want to be able to say that I did love him without wanting to rip myself to shreds, without hating myself. Even though he was never like any of that in past lives, as far as he said, that doesn’t excuse how he treated me in this life.” She looks at Jade. “I’m sorry for how it’ll affect you. I would never want anyone to feel what I’m feeling, and you literally have no choice. It isn’t going to be fair to you.”</p><p>Jade smiles and kisses Tori’s forehead. “I honestly don’t care about feeling everything you feel, I just want you to understand that I’m going to be here through all of it. I’m not going anywhere, Tori. You’re pretty much stuck with me.”</p><p>They sit in peace for a few moments as the sky darkens with night, and Tori lies back to look up at the moon, pulling Jade with her. “I think this is the most peace I’ve ever had in this lifetime. Having Trina as a best friend makes it difficult.”</p><p>Jade chuckles. “I don’t even have to have been around her for long and even I can believe that,” she murmurs. Tori snuggles close to her, resting her head on the other woman’s chest. “I honestly wouldn’t be opposed to spending the rest of our lives out here.”</p><p>“I don’t think I would be opposed to that at all.”</p><p>Jade tilts Tori’s head back to kiss her and smiles against her lips. “I love you.” Tori grins but doesn’t answer, instead rolling onto her back and pulling Jade on top of her, and Jade takes the hint.</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>
  <em>“Two souls will be joined at twenty-one, with no missed beat between them, until their old, dying breath.” Tori frowns and turns to find a young woman with red curls sitting on a straw bed with a teenage boy and girl with similar curls. “But Mama, I don’t understand what the rest of it means. If they share the same thoughts and feel the same things, would that not make them the same?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The woman smiles sadly. “It is fate, my son. We do not question fate.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The girl frowns. “But why are you telling us about this? We are not the souls; I know I am not.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I am telling you because you have a role to play. Both of you are the key to fulfilling the legend.” The boy crinkles his nose and shares a look with his sister. “But my children, in order to do so you both must die.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tori frowns. “I do not want to die!” the boy argues. “I do not want Catherine to die either!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You must fulfil the legend. There is no other way. There is something else you must know, an item the legend mentions, but I do not know what it does.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What is it, Mama?” Catherine asks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“A coin.”</em>
</p><p>Tori’s eyes snap open with a yelp as she feels a burning in her palm. Jade sits up suddenly beside her and pries her fingers open. In her hand is the coin that had been stuffed in the bottom of her bag since they left the apartment, a nasty red burn etched into her skin. Jade’s hand is red as well, and she tosses the coin onto the floor. “What the fuck was that?” she questions. “That dream felt so real!”</p><p>Tori stares at her hand for a moment. “I—I think it was, Jade. I think that actually happened.”</p><p>Jade turns to her. “You think that Sinjin lied to us and he knew this entire time?” She gets out of the bed quickly and crosses the room for Tori’s phone. “If it’s true, I’m going to fucking kill him for not telling us.” She scrolls through Tori’s contacts and stops suddenly, holding her head. After a few minutes, the pain subsides, and her head snaps up to look at Tori. “Tori—”</p><p>“Fuck.”</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter Nineteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I finally figured out how I'm ending this story. I want to say there's, at most, five more chapters. Could be less, depending on how my brain decides to throw down. </p><p>I know this chapter is shorter than the others, but if I made it any longer, it might lose the vibe I'm going for, so hopefully I succeeded. If not, sorry to disappoint.</p><p>Please enjoy and drop a review. I really need to know if y'all are expecting anything specific to happen or if you might think something should happen.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jade sits on the edge of the bed, still holding Tori’s phone, and closes her eyes to attempt to alleviate the blurry vision that didn’t disappear with the sudden headache. Colorful and aggressive thoughts fill her mind, and she opens her eyes, turning to Tori. “We need answers, and I don’t think we’ll get them if we hang him by his toenails from the ceiling.”</p><p>Tori stares at her. “He’s lied to us about everything so far. Do you think he’s really going to tell us the truth if we ask him? We <em>did</em> ask him before, and here we are, having a fucking dream about what he <em>really</em> knows!”</p><p>Jade sighs. “Look, maybe we need to play this differently. If we threaten him, who knows what he’ll tell us or if he’ll go to her about it. Maybe we should act like we didn’t just have all of our memories rammed back into our heads because we know our truth now. Then we can regroup with Trina and try and figure out what we’re supposed to do with this coin. And then, only then, will we finally confront him.”</p><p>“But—”</p><p>“Tori, we have to be smart about this. You know I’m pissed off too.” Jade stands and rounds the bed, pulling Tori to her feet. “But threatening him might just lead to more lying to save his ass, and we both know that it won’t help us figure anything out. And if he’s working with Cat, then who knows what he’s really doing with us.”</p><p>Tori sighs and drops her head against Jade’s shoulder. “I can’t believe we trusted him, Jade. What he told us about our past lives, he lied about half of it, and for what? What was the point in keeping it hidden from us?”</p><p>“He knew we would kill him if we knew the truth, and I think that’s what we have to do.”</p><p>Jade grabs Tori’s phone from the bed and scrolls to Trina’s number. She sends a quick text asking the woman to meet them at the bakery in two hours and begins packing her bag. She glances at her lover and frowns when she realizes Tori is staring at the coin on the floor. “I think I know what to do.”</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>They find Trina sitting at the same table Tori and Robbie had last been seated, and Tori swallows the sudden lump in her throat. She can’t think about him right now, not when they had so much to discuss and other things to figure out. Trina examines both of their expressions and frowns. “You both look like someone just committed the ultimate betrayal.”</p><p>The women sit across the table from her, and Jade looks to Tori. “We remember,” she says quietly.</p><p>Trina raises a brow in confusion before realization dawns on her. “Oh shit. You two have never remembered anything for as long as I’ve ever known you. How did it happen?”</p><p>This time Tori responds. “We had a dream about Sinjin and Cat in their first life.” She stares at her best friend. “He lied to us, Trina. He knows exactly how to fulfil the legend, and he’s been lying to us.”</p><p>“What—”</p><p>“They have to die,” Jade interrupts. “But first, we need to discuss a few things and figure out how we’re going to go through with this. We think we know how to use the coin, but it isn’t going to be easy. And I don’t know how we’re going to be able to do it without either of them realizing what we’re doing.”</p><p>“We have to let them see the coin,” Tori continues. “After Robbie—Robbie explained that everyone he showed it to when he was at war died shortly after the coin announced their death. If we can get Sinjin and Cat to look at it, we may be able to figure out when to—”</p><p>“<em>When to kill them? </em>Are you two out of your minds?” Trina hisses, searching the room for any possible listeners.</p><p>“We don’t want to kill anyone, Trina. But this has to be done. It’s the only way to end this fucking reincarnation circle,” Tori counters. “And we need your help. If there was any other way of doing this without ending someone’s life, do you really think we would be telling you any of this?”</p><p>Trina and Tori stare at each other silently for a few moments, and Trina finally sighs, shaking her head. “What do you need me to do?”</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter Twenty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is completely Sinjin's. It might clear some things up.<br/>Please enjoy and leave a review.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Twenty-one years earlier…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sinjin sits on the floor against a bookshelf in the library, thumbing through the latest issue of his favorite comic book. Between panels, his eyes drift up to the boy sitting at a table nearby, and he swallows the lump of anxiety in his throat when he realizes the boy’s blue eyes flick up to meet his. The corner of the boy’s mouth twitch, and Sinjin’s heart races in his chest. He hadn’t meant to attract the boy’s attention, and now that he had it, he was unsure what to do.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There’s yelling somewhere in the library, voices he had heard many times in multiple lifetimes, and he breaks his staring contest with the boy to find the source. Nine tables down from the boy are Jade and Victoria, arguing. “—Or whatever the hell it is, because honestly, it's only ruining my life. You're ruining my life,” he catches Victoria say, and he knows exactly what they’re talking about. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He knows that they both know their legend and had played his part as much as he could without actually being involved this time. Each lifetime, he had to try something new to see what would happen, and naturally, something different happened each time. Without his direct involvement in this lifetime, the pair wasn’t together, as they had been in every past life. He knew they loved each other on some level, or at least tolerated each other, but outwardly, they almost always fought. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jade raises her hands in defeat. “We’ll talk about this later when you’ve calmed down,” she says and turns to walk away, but apparently that isn’t to Victoria’s liking. The taller girl pins Jade against the end of a row and speaks lowly so that no one else can hear her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>When they begin making out, he tries to look away, but red catches his eye as Cat enters the library behind them, stopping in her tracks and frowning. Her eyes meet his for a brief moment, slightly confused at his presence. He had also actively avoided Cat this time around, hoping that she wouldn’t remember him but knowing that he wouldn’t be so lucky. She stomps over to the table previously occupied by Tori, picking up the Biology book and dropping it heavily onto the table with a deafening thud. At this point, the other three students in the library watch as Victoria and Jade break apart, and Victoria tries to explain.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When Cat leaves, Victoria rushes from the library with her belongings, and his attention falls on Jade, who remains leaning against the end of the row. He can see the hurt in her eyes before she squeezes them shut, and when they open again, she leaves the library. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He glances back at the object of his affection, but the table is empty. His heart drops for a brief moment until a throat clears on the other side of him. He turns his head and finds the boy crouching beside him, grin on his face. “Want to get coffee?”</em>
</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>
  <em>Three days ago…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He sits at the bar with a stool between Cat and himself, and he downs a shot. “If the coin was Robbie’s, why don’t you just ask him what the coin does?” he asks, staring at her. “Surely, he would know?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If I were to ask him, what makes you think he wouldn’t tell them I’ve been asking about it? Don’t you think that would raise suspicions?” she bites back. She thinks for a moment. “Though I could kill him after I ask him. Then he couldn’t tell them.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sinjin rolls his eyes. “Why do you always resort to injuring one of them when something doesn’t go your way? Every single lifetime, I’ve had to endure your violence toward them, and frankly, I’ve grown tired of it.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s boring waiting for something to happen. You’re even more boring, which is why we don’t do this often,” she adds, sipping her drink. “Honestly, don’t you have anything better to do these days than keep an eye on me?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“As long as you’re still alive, you’re dangerous, Catherine.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She chuckles. “Then why not kill me yourself, dear brother?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Because that’s not how it works!” he growls, acquiring the attention of the bartender. “Sorry,” he directs toward the bartender before returning his gaze to the redhead beside him. “There are certain rules, and you’re constantly bending them as though Tori and Jade are your playthings. That isn’t how it’s supposed to work, and you really need to stop.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Something ominous flashes in her eyes, and she smirks. “Are you going to stop me?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A siren sounds nearby, and Sinjin frowns. Something feels wrong, and he watches as Cat’s amused expression changes to one of confusion. “Something’s not right,” he says. “You don’t think—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“They can’t die yet.” They pay the bartender and leave the bar, watching an ambulance park at the end of the street, lights flashing. As they approach, Sinjin catches a glimpse of the victim before a white sheet is placed over the body. “Robbie,” he whispers.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cat shakes her head. “I guess that’s one less link we have.”</em>
</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>
  <em>Present…</em>
</p><p>Sinjin turns onto his side, his hand falling on cool sheets. He slowly opens his eyes to find the other half of the bed empty, indicating his husband’s absence. His phone chirps from the nightstand, and he rolls over to check the notification. Tori has asked him to come over at some point today, and now that he’s awake, he may as well join the women for breakfast.</p><p>Ten minutes later, he’s standing outside the door to Tori’s apartment, fist knocking twice before he lowers his hand. The door opens a moment later to reveal Jade, and he smiles. “Good morning,” he greets. She steps aside to let him enter the apartment and closes the door behind him.</p><p>“Good morning,” Tori says from the kitchen, from which she emerges with two coffee mugs in hand. She hands one to him and moves to the living room, sitting in the recliner.</p><p>“Has something new happened?” he asks. The past few days, they had scarcely spoken, mainly due to Robbie’s death. He could understand; Tori and Robbie had a history that he had played distant witness to.</p><p>Tori shakes her head. “Unfortunately, no. Things seem to be still lately,” she responds. “Do you remember when you told us about our previous lives? You said in the last life, we almost made it to twenty-two and that it would have broken the cycle. What happened?”</p><p>He thinks for a moment. He can’t tell them the entire truth or else. “I’m really not sure. A few weeks before your birthday, you both just disappeared. They found both of your bodies a week later, but no one knew what had happened.” At least it’s not completely a lie, but if they knew that Cat was the one to cause their disappearances and deaths, they would most certainly go after her, and he had to prevent that as much as he could.</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Twenty-One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We finally have a chapter count! After this chapter, there will be 2 more, and then finally after years, this story will finally be complete. </p><p>Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and leave a review.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Twenty-one years ago…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She didn’t know where she was. The last thing she remembered was leaving Victoria’s dorm room—after an intense conversation that lasted maybe five minutes before they were making out for an hour—and going back to hers, where it gets hazy. She blinks through darkness, aware that she isn’t blindfolded, but there is no light in view. She turns her head and winces at a sharp pain as the back of her head rubs against a surface.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Her body feels heavy, as though something is weighing her down, and she groans, attempting to move. Whatever it is, it’s heavy, and she tries to feel with her numbed hands. “Fuck, what is happening?” she murmurs, shaking her hand and waiting for feeling to fill it. The pins and needles tingling causes her to bite her tongue in annoyance, and soon enough blood has circulated through her hand to allow her to continue her investigation. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>After moments of quietly exploring her surroundings, she’s aware that the weight on top of her is a body, and that they are trapped. </em>
</p><p>“I would say that I can’t believe he wouldn’t tell us the truth from the end of our last lives, but after being lied to lately, I’m not surprised,” Jade claims as she waits for the coffee pot to finish preparing their coffee. Her eyes follow Tori as the woman wanders through the living room of Jade’s apartment, skimming through movie titles and books on the few bookshelves. “I woke up to find you <em>dead</em> on top of me, and he would just act like he doesn’t know anything about that.”</p><p>“He wants to save his own ass, Jade,” Tori replies, glancing at her.</p><p>Jade removes the coin from her pocket and nods. “Too bad he’s not going to be able to for much longer. I can’t believe he was so focused on lying to us that he didn’t even see the coin.”</p><p>“The only thing we need to figure out now is whether it’s time for both of them. I’m sure killing Sinjin will only alert Cat that we’re onto this whole thing, and she might run. We have to do it like they did to us.”</p><p>Jade shakes her head. “How did they even do that? Did they synchronize watches or something?”</p><p>Tori shrugs. “It was probably poison or something to keep us from being able to feel what was going on.” She joins Jade in the kitchen and stirs creamer into her coffee. “Maybe we just follow Sinjin and confront them together. He’s probably been meeting up with her and coming up with ways to destroy us.”</p><p>“If this is our final life, do you really think they might be plotting against us? Maybe they’re just waiting for us to figure it out.” Jade sighs and sips her coffee.</p><p>“For us to figure it out, we would have to remember everything. I think they know that. Think about it. We never remembered anything in any other lifetime, but each lifetime something was different than the last. The only lifetime that was out of place of any of the others was the last one because it was the only life where we antagonized and vilified each other. One of the only things that was different in that life by the time that we met was that Sinjin wasn’t part of my life.”</p><p>“I remember seeing him around school, though,” Jade adds. “He always had his nose buried in a comic book or doing some other nerdy thing. I think the only time I really saw him talking to anyone was that super cute guy he was dating.”</p><p>Tori raises a brow. “’Super cute guy’?”</p><p>Jade rolls her eyes. “Just because I’ve never been attracted to men in any lifetime doesn’t mean I don’t think they’re attractive or anything. They can be cute sometimes, like hamsters.” Jade narrows her eyes with a smirk. “Why, babe? Are you jealous?”</p><p>Tori leans over and kisses her. “Never.” She grins, eyes sparkling with mischief, and Jade raises a brow. “While we’re talking about the past, though, I still can’t believe you and Trina—”</p><p>“NO!” Jade yells, shaking her head violently. “Nope, we’re never talking about that. Ever.”</p><p>Tori roars with laughter and Jade takes her coffee mug from her, setting them both on the counter, before tickling her. “Jade! Jade, stop!” After a few moments of torturing Tori, Jade finally does stop, and they stare at each other, both breathing heavily as they dare the other to close the short distance between them.</p><p>Tori isn’t sure who moves first, but the next thing she knows is Jade has lifted her onto the counter as she kisses her intensely, Tori wrapping her legs around Jade’s waist to keep her as close as possible.</p><p>Several moments later, they sit in silence on the floor, their backs against the cabinets as they drink their second cups of coffee. Tori glances at Jade, smiling warmly when her lover returns her attention. “Do you think it’ll be the same after we do this?” she asks quietly.</p><p>“What, making out on the counter?” Jade jokes, and Tori slaps her shoulder. She shrugs. “I don’t know how it’s going to be, Tori. I mean, after we—After they die, we’ll probably be messed up from having to do it, but who knows. I guess eventually we’d be okay.”</p><p>Tori nods, sipping her coffee.</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>
  <em>“Hey, we need to talk. Can you come over?”</em>
</p><p>Cat stares at the message on Sinjin’s phone and frowns. “Do you think they know anything?” she asks, handing his phone back to him.</p><p>He shrugs. “I don’t know. When they asked me over yesterday, they asked about their past life, but I diluted the truth a little. They seemed to accept it.” He locks his phone and pockets it, taking one last shot. “I guess I’ll let you know what they say.”</p><p>The walk to their apartment complex is unnerving as he thinks about what this conversation could possibly be about. As he takes the elevator up to their floor, he passes his apartment door to hers at the end of the hall and knocks. “It’s unlocked,” Tori’s voice calls from inside.</p><p>When he opens the door, she isn’t immediately in sight, and he glances around. Tori pokes her head out of the kitchen, and he nods in greeting. “You wanted to talk?”</p><p>“Yeah, I wanted to ask some more questions about Cat from past lives. You know, get some more clues about how we could end this cycle.” He nods and sits on the couch, accepting her offer of a coffee mug. “In our last life, you said that Jade and I were always taking shots at each other. Was that because Cat and I were together, or were Jade and I just really not into each other?”</p><p>Sinjin sips his coffee and shrugs. “I suppose it could have been both. I’m not sure why you and Jade were always at each other’s throats, though. It seemed like the day you met, you both just hated each other, but it was worse whenever Cat was thought of.” He tilts his head uncomfortably and clears his throat. “Is this a new coffee?”</p><p>Tori smiles slightly and nods. “I thought I’d try a new one. Jade’s been talking about this blend.” Sinjin nods and clears his throat again as his throat begins to close. “I also thought it’d be nice to try something else with it, like mentioning something you never told me and seeing if you would actually notice.”</p><p>“What—”</p><p>“You never explicitly told us that Cat and I were dating in our last life,” she points out. “That’s something that came to light when our memories came back.”</p><p>“You remember?” Sinjin’s head is swimming, and he struggles to keep his eyes open.</p><p>“Yeah, fortunately our memories came back to us right after we had a dream about a woman telling her son and daughter that they would have to die to end the cycle.” His eyes widen as much as possible while his eyelids droop, and she smiles. “You know, that also means that we unfortunately know how the last life ended and who did it.”</p><p>“You—”</p><p>“Yeah, Sinjin, we know. Cat was the one who planned it, but you just went along with it, right? You didn’t want to be stuck with the guilt. I guess it’s a little late to come clean now, though.” She shakes her head. “We also have the feeling that you were watching us in college when you thought we would never notice that we were being watched. Are we right about that?”</p><p>“I—”</p><p>“It’s okay. I don’t think I’m too mad about that part. I think the more upsetting thing here is that you lied to us, Sinjin. You could have avoided all of this and just told us the truth. But you didn’t. And here we are.”</p><p>The last thing Sinjin sees through blurry vision before his eyes finally close are Tori sitting on the coffee table and leaning forward. “This isn’t over,” her voice echoes as everything stops.</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This has been finished for a few days now, but because of the frozen hell that's befallen Texas, I've been stressed with trying to survive the past few days. </p><p>I definitely changed my mind and decided to end this at 22 chapters because the last 2 chapters ended up being about 500 words each and I didn't want to post short chapters like that, especially to end this story. But I did it! I finally finished writing this story after starting it 9 years ago! Thank you to everyone who has been reading it, and those who reviewed. I appreciate it all.</p><p>Please enjoy and leave a review.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>This isn’t over.</em>
</p><p>Sinjin’s eyes shoot open, but he can see nothing in the darkness. A weight pins him down, and he realizes a body is on top of him. He panics, pushing against his surroundings, but he’s trapped. They’re trapped. He assumes this is what either Jade or Tori must have felt if they had awakened after being poisoned, but he doubts either of them had. The doses had been lethal.</p><p>He freezes. Tori and Jade had remembered their past. They remembered how they died and that he and Cat had done it together. They had remembered, and they had pretended they hadn’t.</p><p>He feels so stupid.</p><p>He feels a vibration against his leg and reaches down, fingers wrapping around his cell phone. Tori’s name shows at the top of the screen, and he reluctantly answers. “Ah, so you didn’t die yet,” Tori announces through the phone. “Good, now we can talk about what you both did.”</p><p>“What did you do with us?” he asks, his tongue heavy and his mouth dry.</p><p>There’s a slight pause. “We did the same thing you did to us. Cat should be dead, we gave her a higher dose, but that’s unimportant, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>There’s a harsh laugh. “You want to know <em>why</em>? You and Cat have been playing with us from the beginning. We remember, Sinjin. Every single lifetime, you lied to us. When you told us about our past, you lied about half of it. We can’t trust you anymore, and this is the only way for the legend to be complete. You and Cat both have to die. You can’t save yourselves anymore.”</p><p>“You’re not a killer, Tori.”</p><p>“Neither am I, but here we are,” Jade bites back instead. “Ever since you were told that you and Cat would have to die, you both have been playing some sick God act and killing us when we get too close. In the last life, we were <em>so close</em> to figuring it out, and Cat knew it. She knew it the second she told Tori about the legend, and she regretted telling her. So, she convinced you to help her kill us because she didn’t want to die. You didn’t want to die.”</p><p>“It wasn’t like that,” Sinjin defends.</p><p>“Oh? Then tell us what it was like,” Tori says. “Tell us you didn’t feel threatened when Cat told you she told me about the legend. Tell us you didn’t feel as though you were going to die.”</p><p>“I didn’t!” There’s a brief pause. “I wanted this to end a long time ago, but no, I didn’t want to die. And Cat—She always wanted to take matters into her own hands. In this life, she hit Jade with a car just so you two would hurry up and realize that you feel the exact same thing. She gave Tori the coin to see if you two would figure out what it did because neither of us had ever figured it out. We didn’t know what it did.”</p><p>“Was that so hard? To tell us the truth?”</p><p>“She wanted to rush everything, but she didn’t want you to figure it out. She made things difficult, and I didn’t want to go along with it. But what choice did I have? Cat was dangerous. I wanted to be free of her.”</p><p>“And now you are,” Jade assures him. “Just like we’ll soon be free of both of you.”</p><p>“Do you have any last words?” Tori adds.</p><p>Sinjin takes a breath, fighting tears. “Don’t do this.”</p><p>
  <em>Click.</em>
</p><p>LEGEND</p><p>
  <em>11 months later…</em>
</p><p>She pushes open the gate and walks along the path, hands in her pockets. The coin is cold against her fingers as she holds it, sighing as she remembers why she’s here. Eyes scan stones in the darkness, searching for a particular one, and she hesitates when she finds it. Approaching the stone, she touches it lightly and smiles slightly, crouching down so that she doesn’t hover.</p><p>“Hey, Robbie,” she says quietly, “I’m so sorry that it took so long for me to come and visit you, but we haven’t exactly been around since a few days after you—There’s so much I need to tell you.” She sighs. “Sinjin and Cat lied to us about a lot of things. We took care of it, but it was so much to deal with, and we kind of ran away for a while. Actually, I went and saw your mom for a couple of days while we were gone. I think she was okay seeing me. There were a lot of tears, but there were also a lot of laughs and memories.</p><p>“I’ve finally forgiven you. I know it’s a little late for that, but I do. I realize now that we were all played for most of our lives, and something was bound to happen. I just hate that it had to be exactly what happened.</p><p>“Jade and I are still happily together. There was a brief couple of weeks that we couldn’t even look at each other, but we both went to therapy and we’ve been really good since. I know the legend is over and everything, but we’re still meant to be, right? That’s always going to be true, I think.</p><p>“Oh, I brought your coin back.” She fishes it from her pocket and sets it down at the base of the tombstone. “Thank you for telling me about it and letting me use it.” She smiles and stands. “I miss you, Robbie.”</p><p>She turns and begins walking the same path back to the gate, shutting it behind her. Jade leans against their car on the side of the road, hands in her pockets as she watches Tori approach her. “Are you okay?” she checks.</p><p>Tori nods, turning and looking over the cemetery. “Yeah, I think I am.”</p><p>Jade smiles and wraps her arms around Tori’s waist, kissing her cheek. “Good, let’s get you to your party. You only turn twenty-two once.”</p>
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